HACKER Q&A
📣 nowherebeen

Herd Mentality vs. Mutations


The premise of herd mentality is that enough people get sick eventually we will become immune. But what about virus mutations that happens when enough people get sick like we are seeing now? Can a virologist on HN please educate us?


  👤 uberman Accepted Answer ✓
I think you mean "herd immunity".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herd_immunity

"Herd Mentality" is something else:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herd_mentality

Also, it is not that enough people will get sick, but that enough people cannot pass on the sickness. This is a subtly different but important distinction and is why getting vaccinated is important for the community not just the individual.


👤 nonsapreiche
No, the herd mentality is about the dog that rules the herd