Fauci: Herd Immunity Could Require 90% of Country to Be Vaccin | COVID-19 Report

Fauci: Herd Immunity Could Require 90% of Country to Be Vaccinated

Achieving herd immunity against the coronavirus could require as much as 90% of the population to be vaccinated, Anthony Fauci said in an interview published Thursday.

Fauci, the country's top infectious diseases expert, acknowledged in the New York Times interview that he has been incrementally raising his estimate of herd immunity numbers.

“When polls said only about half of all Americans would take a vaccine, I was saying herd immunity would take 70 to 75%,” Dr. Fauci told the Times. “Then, when newer surveys said 60% or more would take it, I thought, ‘I can nudge this up a bit,’ so I went to 80, 85.”

The Times noted that about a month ago, Fauci began saying herd immunity would take “70, 75%” of Americans being vaccinated.

Fauci said experts don't really know for sure the level of vaccinations needed for herd immunity, but the initial estimates of 60-70% were based on early data.

“We need to have some humility here,” Fauci said in the interview. “We really don’t know what the real number is. I think the real range is somewhere between 70-90% But, I’m not going to say 90%.” @COVID19Up SOURCE