Herd Immunity Not Possible in U.S., Experts Say, But We May Not Need It
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It’s becoming increasingly clear as the pandemic continues to wind down that the goal of achieving “herd immunity” in the U.S. won’t be possible at least, as it’s defined by public health officials. Too many of us decline to be vaccinated for the U.S. to meet the target goal of 70-90 percent of citizens who have either been vaccinated or contracted Covid-19.
Instead, we’ve got to accept the fact that the virus will become a “manageable threat” and continue to bedevil the world for years to come.
Covid 19 coronavirus: Reaching herd immunity unlikely in the US, experts now believe
4 May, 2021 12:10 AM
10 minutes to read
Though there is consensus among scientists and public health experts that the US herd immunity threshold is not attainable, it may not be all bad news. Photo / Saul Martinez, The New York Times
Though there is consensus among scientists and public health experts that the US herd immunity threshold is not attainable, it may not be all bad news. Photo / Saul Martinez, The New York Times
New York Times
By: Apoorva Mandavilli
Widely circulating coronavirus variants and persistent hesitancy about vaccines will keep the goal out of reach. The virus is here to stay, but vaccinating the most vulnerable may be enough to restore normalcy.
3 May 2021
“Experts” are now doubting the United States will ever be able to reach herd immunity in regards to the Chinese coronavirus, according to a report from the
New York Times, which concluded the virus is “here to stay.”
The
New York Times, in a Monday report, cited a “widespread consensus among scientists and public health experts” who believe the herd immunity threshold is “not attainable at least not in the foreseeable future, and perhaps not ever.”
Rather, they say the virus will stick around, becoming something the U.S. manages, though it remains unclear what the immediate ramifications of that mindset are, whether it be extended universal masking or continued social distancing.
Herd Immunity Against COVID-19 in US Cannot Be Reached in Foreseeable Future, Experts Say
MEGAN JELINGER
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Sputnik International
https://sputniknews.com/us/202105041082794158-herd-immunity-against-covid-19-in-us-cannot-be-reached-in-foreseeable-future-experts-say/
The United States has fully vaccinated more than 100 million people against COVID-19, according to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. During the early stages of the pandemic, experts said 80 percent of people with COVID-19 antibodies is required to obtain herd immunity that would allow restrictions to be lifted.
Some experts and healthcare officials believe that herd immunity cannot be reached in the immediate future or is simply impossible, with the deadly virus here to stay for years, but with less intensity,
Experts feel herd immunity looking unlikely in US: Report
By IANS |
Published on
Tue, May 4 2021 21:06 IST |
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New York, May 4 : There is consensus among scientists and public health experts that reaching herd immunity is unlikely in the US, when it comes to Covid-19, the media reported.
According to The New York Times, the experts believe that the virus will most likely become a manageable threat that will continue to circulate in the US for years to come, still causing hospitalisations and deaths but in much smaller numbers. The virus is unlikely to go away, Rustom Antia, an evolutionary biologist at Emory University in Atlanta, was quoted as saying by the publication.