Is omicron leading us closer to herd immunity against COVID?

By VICTORIA MILKO
AP Science Writer

Experts say it’s not likely that the highly transmissible omicron variant — or any other variant — will lead us closer to herd immunity against COVID-19. Herd immunity is when enough of a population becomes immune to a particular infection that it’s hard for the germ to spread even to those who aren’t protected by vaccination or a prior infection. Early hopes of herd immunity against the coronavirus faded for several reasons including new variants, waning immunity and vaccine hesitancy. Many scientists believe COVID-19 will eventually become like the flu, causing seasonal outbreaks but not huge surges.