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Added on the 15/12/2020 18:52:06 - Copyright : Wochit
The U.S. could soon be giving at least a million COVID-19 vaccinations a day. This would be a major shift from the current speed which has been described as a sluggish start. Dr. Anthony Fauci warned of a dangerous next few weeks as the coronavirus surges. The slow pace is frustrating health officials and a desperate public alike, says HuffPost. Only about a third of the first supplies shipped to states have been used as of Tuesday morning. This is just over three weeks into the vaccination campaign.
White House coronavirus task force member Dr. Anthony Fauci says the rate of vaccinations against COVID-19 should speed up soon. Business Insider reports Fauci told ABC News' Martha Raddatz on Sunday there's no reason why the US can't immunize 1 million people per day right now. If so, it would put the country on track to meet President-elect Joe Biden's goal of vaccinating 100 million people in his first 100 days in office. Fauci said that herd immunity in around 75% to 90% of the population might be achieved by the end of summer or early fall. According to Business Insider, he explained that his estimate could vary, based on how many people choose to get vaccinated.
Patrick Semansky-Pool/Getty Images Institutions like hospitals and possibly schools will mandate that a person receives a COVID-19 vaccination, Dr. Anthony Fauci predicted. "I would not be surprised, as we get into the full scope of [COVID-19] vaccination, that some companies, some hospitals, some organizations might require [COVID-19] vaccination," he said in an interview with Newsweek. Vaccine rollout has been slower than anticipated. About 3.5 million doses have been given out since the Food and Drug Administration approved Pfizer and Moderna's vaccines.
Dr. Anthony Fauci had previously said it could take up to 90% of the US population to get vaccinated to reach herd immunity against the coronavirus. But on Sunday, he clarified his 'guesstimate' downwards to 70 to 85% of the population. Business Insider reports Fauci admitted on CNN's 'State of the Union' that 'we all have to be honest and humble, nobody really knows for sure.' This month, the US Food and Drug Administration authorized both Moderna and Pfizer and BioNTech's coronavirus vaccine for emergency use. Healthcare professionals and frontline workers across the country have been getting vaccinations since the vaccine rollouts.