Fauci sees glimmer of hope as US COVID-19 vaccinations ramp up
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FILE - Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, gives the thumbs up after receiving his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at the National Institutes of Health on December 22, 2020 in Bethesda, Marylan
(Patrick Semansky-Pool/Getty Images)
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The U.S. ramped up COVID-19 vaccinations in the past few days after a slower-than-expected start, bringing to 4 million the number of Americans who have received shots, Dr. Anthony Fauci said Sunday.
The government’s top infectious-disease expert also said on ABC’s This Week that President-elect Joe Biden’s pledge to administer 100 million shots of the vaccine within his first 100 days in office is achievable.
31 December 2020, 4:19 am EST By
Americans could have their normal lives by the fall of 2021. American leading infectious disease specialist Dr. Anthony Fauci made this remark in an online discussion with California Governor Gavin Newsom provided that enough number of people decide to receive the jab and if COVID vaccine administration picks up.
Fauci said that assuming that if the vaccination campaign progresses as it should by July, there will be enough herd immunity by early fall of 2021 to return to a situation with strong semblance of normality, opening up restaurants, theaters, schools, and sports events.
(Photo : Mika Baumeister/Unsplash)
If COVID Vaccine Delivery Accelerates, Herd Immunity Possible by July, Life to Normalize by Spring 2021 – Fauci says
Dr. Anthony Fauci said on Sunday that he did not deliberately move the goalposts for when the country would reach herd immunity, saying he was only offering guestimates before.
Fauci told New York Times that when polls said only about half of Americans would get the vaccine, he lowered the numbers to only 70 to 75 percent to reach herd immunity.
However, when more people started saying they will get vaccinated, Fauci also bumped up the herd immunity estimate to about 80 percent. We have to realize that we have to be humble and realize what we don t know. These are pure estimates, Fauci said.
Fauci claims herd immunity numbers were guestimates, settles on 75-80%
Published article
FILE - Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, gives the thumbs up after receiving his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at the National Institutes of Health on December 22, 2020 in Bethesda, Marylan
(Patrick Semansky-Pool/Getty Images)
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Dr. Anthony Fauci on Sunday dismissed accusations that he deliberately moved the goalposts on when the country would vaccinate enough people against COVID-19 to reach herd immunity, saying he was previously offering guestimates.
Reported by some outlets as a confession, Fauci told The New York Times: 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.