While the great affairs of the world daily parade before us, there is for me, one continuing irritation that 15 months or more have failed to assuage; namely the risible term ‘herd-immunity’!

Having been involved with scientists for more than 60 years, I am only too aware that some very clever people believe that they also have sense of humour. Not so!

I was born in Leominster just before the war. There were lots of our famous white-faced cattle, in fact there were herds of them!

Not so many people, townsfolk or villagers, so we had little personal use for a people’s collective noun. Had we really pondered away, I think ‘community’ may have got the headmaster’s approval, if nobody else’s.

So in this light, may I have the temerity to correct the great and famous, suggesting that ‘herd immunity’ be replaced immediately by ‘co-immunity’, a neat contraction of ‘community immunity’.

The prior term be reserved to the rightful owners, our famous Herefords.

Rod Packwood, PhD
Ottawa, Canada

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