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The United States will get herd immunity to the novel coronavirus soon, but the United Kingdom will get there sooner. That’s because medical leaders across the pond have prioritized the first dose vaccination, delaying the booster shots so more people can get the first shot. Fifty-nine percent of UK adults are now vaccinated with a single dose, compared to just 38% in the US
Many more Americans are fully vaccinated – 21% have received either a booster or the Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine. In the UK, where the only options are two-dose vaccines, only 8% of adults are fully immunized.
In both countries, the daily death toll peaked in January – 3,352 on January 12 in the US and 1,248 on January 23 in the UK Since then the US number has declined by 72% – which seems impressive until you compare it 96% of Great Britain. In the UK, deaths average 47 per day. The US figure of 938 is 20 times higher in a country less than five times as populous.
Many public health experts have argued that the United States should take the “one dose is better than nothing” approach, including Ashish Jha of Brown University, Robert Wachter of the University of California and Christopher Gill of the United States. Boston University. Even Michael Osterholm of the University of Minnesota, a member of President Biden’s Covid task force known for voicing his opinion, has suggested delaying the second doses. “We could get more of our over 65s vaccinated,” he told the Star Tribune. “I think the data will support that this is actually a very efficient way to do it.”
But Anthony Fauci publicly disagreed. On one occasion, Dr Fauci warned of “the danger” that could arise from concentrating on the first dose. And during a White House briefing on February 19, Dr Fauci downplayed a single-dose study of Israel. Senior White House adviser Andy Slavitt intervened, telling reporters: “We’re not going to be convinced by a study that makes headlines.”
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