Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top infectious disease expert in the United States, has again shifted his perspective on the COVID-19 herd immunity threshold in the nation and stated his previous figures were "guesstimates."
Fauci Defends His Changed Perspective on COVID-19 Herd Immunity Threshold
In an interview on Sunday, Dr. Fauci defended shifting his herd immunity projections regarding the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.
Fauci dismissed allegations that he deliberately moved the goalposts on when the US would vaccinate adequate people against the novel coronavirus to reach herd immunity, indicating he was previously offering "guestimates."
According to his confession, "When polls said only about half of all Americans would take a vaccine, I was saying herd immunity would take 70 to 75 percent...Then, when newer surveys said 60 percent or more would take it, I thought, 'I can nudge this up a bit,' so I went to 80,85," reported Fox News.
Herd immunity is when a massive percentage of a specific population grows to become immune to a virus. Immunity can transpire naturally or through vaccines to alleviate viral infections, including the coronavirus and the flu.
The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases stated in an interview on Thursday that from 70% to 90% of the US population would need to get immunized against COVID-19 as a threshold for herd immunity.
Defending his raising the bar on his herd immunity projections, according to Fauci, "We have to realize that we have to be humble and realize what we don't know. These are pure estimates," reported New York Post.
Fauci cited polling regarding COVID-19 vaccines and suggested he went public with the new projections partly because the country was finally prepared to hear it.
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Over one million Americans have been administered a first dose of a vaccine since December 14, according to the United States Centers for Disease Control, or merely an estimated 0.3% of the population.
Fauci is currently offering his expertise on both Incumbent President Donald Trump and President-elect Joe Biden regarding the pandemic.
He previously acknowledged he had been incrementally raising his herd immunity numbers estimate. The health expert has been increasing the estimates in his public announcements because he believes Americans can now readily handle the message that getting back to normal could take longer than expected, and fewer Americans are reporting being dubious of getting vaccinated.
On his current estimates, he remarked, "And the calculations that I made 70, 75 percent, it's a range. The range is going to be somewhere between 70 and 85 percent," reported The Epoch Times.
According to doctors, herd immunity will eventually be reached for all populations. It can be helped by but is not dependent upon a vaccine.
In succeeding interviews, Fauci has focused a Times report in which he compared the coronavirus and measles, saying at the time that he would bet his house that COVID-19 is not as contagious as measles.
Fauci guested on Sunday morning's "State of the Union," reiterating that he estimated his numbers on measles instead of polling.
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