US could achieve 'umbrella of protection' against COVID-19 by summer 2021, suggests Fauci

US top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci on December 23 said that if the COVID-19 vaccines are rolled out smoothly, it might be possible to achieve widespread population immunity in the United States by summer 2021. In an interview with WebMD that was posted on Wednesday, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases suggested that people could host weddings as early as June or July and added that he believed the priority populations including home residents, health care workers, and other essential workers should receive their inoculations by March or April. This, if done ‘correctly’ can result in “umbrella protection” of the entire United States.

“Dr. Anthony Fauci said, We could start in April doing what I call 'open season' on vaccinations -- namely anybody in the general population who wants to get vaccinated will get vaccinated...By the time we get into the middle or end of the summer, I believe we will have, if we do it correctly, we could have 70 to 85 per cent of the population vaccinated.”

“When that occurs, there will be an umbrella of protection over the entire country,” he added.

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Fauci received COVID-19 vaccine

Fauci’s remarks came a day after he received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine alongside other senior officials on December 22. In a televised event at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Fauci rolled up his sleeve and said that he was taking the initial dose as a “symbol” to the rest of the country that he feels confident in the safety and efficacy of the vaccine developed by Moderna. Further, the scientist also encouraged everyone to get vaccinated so that there could be a “veil of protection” over the country. 

Fauci said, “What we're seeing now is the culmination of years of research which have led to a phenomenon that has truly been unprecedented. And that is to go from the realization that we're dealing with a new pathogen, a virus that was described in January of this year, to less than one year later to have vaccines that are going into the arms of so many people, including myself”. 

He added, “I want to encourage everyone who has the opportunity to get vaccinated so that we could have a veil of protection over this country, that would end this pandemic”. 

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