Eligibility for vaccines is increasing; next goal: herd immunity

“Our vaccine distribution strategy will focus more on how best to promote herd immunity,” a health expert told ABC11.

Video transcript

ED CRUMP: The administration of vaccines throughout the United States followed a similar path. First, vaccinate those most vulnerable to COVID-19 to slow the rate of hospitalizations and deaths. But once this goal is achieved, then what?

PETER MORRIS: Our vaccine distribution strategy will focus more on how best to promote herd immunity.

ED CRUMP: Dr Peter Morris is a pediatrician with a master’s degree in public health who served as the medical director of social services for Wake County for over a quarter of a century. He now heads the Wake County Urban Departments and its Health Clinic. He advocates immunizing not only medically vulnerable people, but also those from marginalized communities served by Urban Ministries. Once we hit those goals, he sees health officials set another one.

PETER MORRIS: We would say, OK, who is most likely to spread the disease?

ED CRUMP: Dr Morris has seen all of the spring break videos showing young people congregating in resort towns and villages, completely ignoring the rules of social distancing and with few masks.

[CHEERING]

This is proof that spring break could still be a super spreader event this year. So, until groups like this and other socially active people are vaccinated, we might still see outbreaks.

PETER MORRIS: Young people who flock to beaches, or who break mask rules and put themselves and others at risk, can and should be vaccinated. And we must encourage them to do so. And that would dramatically speed up the pace towards collective immunity, no doubt.

ED CRUMP: Dr Morris says the vaccines currently in use were not developed with herd immunity as the goal, but rather to prevent hospitalization and death. However.

PETER MORRIS: In fact, as we’ve given it to millions of Americans, it looks like it might be the vaccine to create herd immunity. So isn’t that great?

ED CRUMP: But Dr Morris, like many others, worries that once we cross the 50% mark for vaccinations, the pace will slow down. And then, he says, more vaccine education and encouragement will be needed to keep progressing towards herd immunity. Ed Crump, ABC 11 Eyewitness News.