Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert, said Wednesday (March 10) that current vaccination levels indicate that the United States could return to “business as usual” by the end of August or early September, before the pandemic.
Fauci made the comments at an online press conference on herd immunization held by the White House New crown outbreak Response Team.
Fauci said their best estimate for reaching herd immunity levels and what is an adequate level of vaccination is 70 to 85 percent of the total U.S. population.
He said current vaccination rates could reach that level by the end of the North American summer. However, he believes that if the U.S. could currently vaccinate one to two million people a day, society would continue to be more protected.
Fauci said, “You don’t have to wait to get full herd immunity to have a profound impact on what you do.”
Some government restrictions may be lifted as the pace of vaccination accelerates and those most vulnerable to the virus are protected, Fauci said.
Currently, only about 10 percent of the population is fully vaccinated, warned Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). However, the CDC expects that federal guidelines will be relaxed as more people are vaccinated.
Fauci added that many people are refusing to be vaccinated, and that will delay the U.S. from reaching the end of the pandemic.
At the same briefing, White House New Coronavirus Advisor Andy Slavitt announced that the U.S. Department of health and Human Services had purchased an additional 100 million doses of Johnson & Johnson New Coronavirus vaccine.
Recent Comments