Dr. Anthony Fauci, the United States' top infectious diseases expert, stated on Sunday that the US could reach herd immunity against COVID-19 relatively quickly in 2021 if adequate Americans get vaccinated.
Help is On the Way
Fauci guested on "Face the Nation" and remarked "help is on the way" in the form of the novel coronavirus vaccine. He added, however, that Americans need to be vigilant as the holidays approach and that the nation is in a "very, very difficult situation" as cases increase.
No Hesitation to Take the Vaccine
According to Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have the ultimate judgment for recommendations on who is administered the COVID-19 vaccine first. He added he would have no hesitation in being administered if he was included in the said group.
The health expert affirmed Americans that help is coming to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and that promising vaccine candidates have the potential to adequately respond to the global health crisis, reported New York Post.
He said vaccines can soon provide "serious help" to the US, acknowledging its new record of daily cases and hospitalizations.
In October, Fauci is criticizing a declaration by a cluster of scientists supporting the concept of "herd immunity" which the White House is using in support of a push to reopen schools and businesses during the coronavirus pandemic, reported Global News.
Herd immunity is the idea that an illness would stop its prevalence once nearly everybody has contracted it. Fauci described it as "total nonsense."
The idea of using herd immunity as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been reoccurring.
Fauci argued against relying on a herd immunity strategy as a shield from the virus.
According to Fauci whether herd immunity is a viable strategy for the nation to adopt, "If you let infections rip as it were and say, 'Let everybody get infected that's going to be able to get infected and then we'll have herd immunity.' Quite frankly that is nonsense, and anybody who knows anything about epidemiology will tell you that that is nonsense and very dangerous," reported CNBC.
He countered a proposed White House approach to push for herd immunity in response to the pandemic. He said herd immunity is not a fundamental strategy that should be used.
Pfizer, Moderna COVID-19 Vaccines
Recently, Fauci said vaccines would be available "relatively soon."
COVID-19 vaccines manufactured by Pfizer and Moderna have displayed effective results, but Fauci remarked herd immunity cannot be achieved if only 40% or 50% of the population is administered the vaccine.
Also according to Fauci, the CDC would determined recommendations closely with an Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices which is also being accompanied by recommendations from the Nation Academy of Medicine. At the end of the day, the CDC still has the final deliberation.
