[ad_1]
Dr Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease specialist, said on Sunday that the United States could achieve herd immunity to the coronavirus “fairly quickly” next year if enough Americans get vaccinated.
Appearing on “Face the Nation,” Fauci said “help is on the way” in the form of the vaccine, but Americans must be cautious as the holidays approach and take action to mitigate the spread of the virus throughout the winter. the country finds itself in a “very, very difficult situation” as cases continue to increase. The vaccines will be available “relatively soon” if Americans can “hang on to them,” Fauci said.
Vaccines produced by Pfizer and Modern have been shown to be very effective, but Fauci said that herd immunity – the threshold at which enough people have been vaccinated or infected with the virus to curb its spread – cannot be achieved if only 40% or 50% of the population receives the vaccine, Fauci said. A poll showed Americans are still skeptical about a vaccine, and many say they will delay the vaccination or not get it at all.
“What we need is to vaccinate as many people as possible, and that’s why we want to be very transparent so that people understand” the process that goes into the creation and approval of the vaccine has declared Fauci.
“The FDA is going to review it very carefully now with completely independent advisory committees, and declare with EUA and ultimately a license that the vaccines are safe and effective,” he said, referring to the procurement process. an emergency use authorization. “When the American public hears this, you have to be assured that it does. And if you vaccinate an overwhelming majority of people with a very effective vaccine, we can reasonably quickly achieve herd immunity that would be a blanket of. protection of the country. “
Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, also urged caution before the holidays, because 50 million Americans are. should travel for Thanksgiving. He said crowds at airports during the trip can present dangerous situations, even as airlines try to mitigate those risks. There is also a significant risk in reuniting with other people outside of one’s home, especially if there are older relatives or people with underlying illnesses, he said.
The increase in cases attributable to Thanksgiving gatherings won’t be evident “until weeks later,” Fauci said.
“These are the things that we need to achieve that are going to cause us even more problems than we are now,” Fauci said.
The growing number of cases should not be seen as a dire situation, Fauci said, urging Americans to wash their hands, stay away from others and wear masks to lessen the risk of the spread.
“There is a very sober message on the one hand, but there is a message of hope if we do certain things. It is in our power to do them.”
[ad_2]
Source link