Tunisia achieved a herd immunity of no less than 50% against COVID-19, Professor of Medical Virology and member of the scientific committee to fight the Coronavirus Mahjoub Al-Ouni said on Thursday.

Herd immunity, or population immunity, occurs when a population becomes immune either after a previous infection, he said. This was also possible as the vaccination campaign gathered momentum.

Tunisia logged a total of 584,696 recoveries by August 17. This is a significant figure that allows this category to acquire a natural immunity against COVID-19, he said.

A total of 4,737,282 vaccine doses were administered so far; they are shared out as follows: 3,427,863 first shots and 1,309,419 boosters.

The number of fully vaccinated people reached 1,872,221 until August 17.

The epidemiological situation in Tunisia improved yet vigilance is required, Al-Ouni said, as the positivity rate is still high. An epidemiological situation is seen as stable when the positivity rate is below 10%.

Source: TAP News Agency