Global Eradication Of COVID-19 More Feasible Than For Polio: Study

COVID-19 Study: The authors estimated the feasibility of COVID-19 eradication, defined as ''the permanent reduction to zero of the worldwide incidence of infection caused by a specific agent as a result of deliberate efforts''.

The global eradication of COVID-19 is more feasible than it is for polio, but considerably less so than it was for smallpox, according to an analysis published in the journal BMJ Global Health on Tuesday. Public health experts from the University of Otago Wellington in New Zealand noted that vaccination, public health measures, and global interest in achieving this goal all make eradication of COVID-19 possible. However, they said, the main challenges lie in securing sufficiently high vaccine coverage and respond quickly enough to immune-escape variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The authors estimated the feasibility of COVID-19 eradication, defined as ''the permanent reduction to zero of the worldwide incidence of infection caused by a specific agent as a result of deliberate efforts''.