Lost Immunity by Daniel Kalla (free reads TXT) 📕

will accept many but not all vaccines to those who vehemently oppose any form of vaccination.

But the fundamental concern to the vast pro-vaccine majority is that, while everyone is entitled to their own beliefs, those who refuse to buy into traditional vaccination programs impact more than just themselves or their loved ones. For a vaccine to be effective, it depends on the concept of herd immunity. Generally speaking, we need at least seventy percent of a community to develop immunity to an infectious threat in order to thwart its natural spread.

Never has this subject been more relevant than today. With the race on to achieve herd immunity against the COVID-19 pandemic through vaccination, global acceptance of a vaccine will be essential to stop this horrific disease.

Aside from entertaining and, hopefully, thrilling readers, I wrote this novel as an allegory for the debate over vaccines. That can be a delicate balancing act when it comes to an issue as emotionally fraught as vaccinations, and I hope I present both sides in a fair and compassionate light. No vaccine is entirely perfect. Any medication carries some risks. But at the end of the day, I wholly believe there is only one right answer in this crucial debate.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Many people consider writing to be a solitary pursuit, but for me that has never been true. From the first inkling of an idea to the final draft, I work collaboratively with friends, colleagues, editors, and loved ones, bouncing ideas off them and inundating them with pages. This novel is no exception. It’s impossible to acknowledge all those who helped me along the way, but there are several I do have to credit.

While this is a work of fiction, the issues at the heart of it—public health, epidemics, and vaccination—are very real. And I was fortunate to be able to lean on two world-class experts, Drs. Patricia Daly and Victor Leung, to ensure I got those details right.

I am blessed to have such an insightful, creative, and like-minded editor in Laurie Grassi, who works tirelessly to bring out the best in my writing. Two other talented editors—Jasmine Elliott in Toronto and Anne Perry in London—also helped to hone this story.

I’m thrilled to further my collaboration with the caring folks at Simon & Schuster, including Jillian Levick, Nita Pronovost, Gregory Tilney, David Millar, Felicia Quon, and Kevin Hanson. And I’m grateful for the guidance of my agents, Henry Morrison and Danny Baror.

As always, I want to thank you, the readers, who inspire me to continue writing. I hope this novel will shed some light on a vital public health issue and help to separate some of the myths from the facts.

More from the Author

The Last High

We All Fall Down

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

©Michael Bednar Photography

DANIEL KALLA is the international bestselling author of novels including The Last High and We All Fall Down. His previous book The Last High was an instant bestseller. Kalla practices emergency medicine in Vancouver, British Columbia. Visit him at danielkalla.com or follow him on Twitter @DanielKalla.

SimonandSchuster.ca

www.SimonandSchuster.ca/Authors/Daniel-Kalla

@SimonSchusterCA

ALSO BY

DANIEL KALLA

The Last High

We All Fall Down

Nightfall Over Shanghai

Rising Sun, Falling Shadow

The Far Side of the Sky

Of Flesh and Blood

Cold Plague

Blood Lies

Rage Therapy

Resistance

Pandemic

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Simon & Schuster Canada

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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2021 by Daniel Kalla

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Simon & Schuster Canada Subsidiary Rights Department, 166 King Street East, Suite 300, Toronto, Ontario, M5A 1J3.

This Simon & Schuster Canada edition May 2021

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Cover Image: Boscorelli / Shutterstock

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Title: Lost immunity / Daniel Kalla.

Names: Kalla, Daniel, author.

Description: Simon & Schuster Canada edition.

Identifiers: Canadiana (print) 2020028343X | Canadiana (ebook) 20200283448 | ISBN 9781982150150 (softcover) | ISBN 9781982150167 (ebook)

Classification: LCC PS8621.A47 L67 2021 | DDC C813/.6—dc23

ISBN 978-1-9821-5015-0

ISBN 978-1-9821-5016-7 (ebook)