Austin Public Health leaders say 85% of Travis County residents could be vaccinated within 12 weeks if the Texas Department of State Health Services ups APH s allocation to at least 24,000 doses per week.
The threshold APH is aiming for to establish herd immunity is 85%. While the World Health Organization says the exact threshold for establishing herd immunity to COVID-19 is uncertain, health experts including Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has said it is likely in the 70%-90% range.
Since being named a regional vaccination hub early in 2021, APH has received 12,000 initial doses of Moderna s coronavirus vaccine per week. APH said on March 9 that it will take more than four months just to vaccinate the more than 200,000 qualified people already pregistered through its online portal. The organization is hopeful that larger allocations are on the way now that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is in circulation.