But Dr. Anthony Fauci said people are too focused on the thought of herd immunity – the point where enough people are protected from the virus to suppress spread – for this new coronavirus.
“I think we have to be careful marrying this concept of herd immunity because we really don’t know exactly what that is for this particular virus,” Fauci told a Senate hearing.
Fauci, the longtime director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said he estimates that somewhere between 70% and 85% of the population needs to be vaccinated or otherwise immune to the virus to get to the point of herd- to achieve immunity. .
“We don’t really know what that magical point of herd immunity is, but we do know that if we get the overwhelming population vaccinated, we’re going to be in good shape. We’d like and should eventually have children in that mix,” Fauci said during a hearing of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.
He said that when high school students are vaccinated, the US could achieve herd immunity.
More states are expanding the number of people who are eligible to be vaccinated. New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu said residents 50 and older will be eligible as of Monday and the state plans to expand access to vaccines to all citizens 16 and older “in just a matter of minutes. weeks”.
Missouri Governor Mike Parson said vaccination will be available to adults in sectors essential to economic recovery starting March 29, and all adults will be able to have a chance starting April 9.
Illinois will expand to all residents 16 and older on April 12, Governor JB Pritzker said.
Kentucky governor Andy Beshear said that as of Monday, providers must include individuals 50 and older.
Experts are concerned about where the case numbers will go
But even as vaccinations increase, the US could be on the brink of another Covid-19 case, an expert says.
“I think we will see an increase in infections,” said emergency physician Dr. Wen on Wednesday night on CNN. “I think what helps this time, however, is that the most vulnerable – especially nursing home residents, people who are older – are now being vaccinated. And so we can avoid spikes in hospital admissions and deaths.”
Meanwhile, governors and local leaders have relaxed restrictions on indoor gatherings, citing fewer Covid-19 cases and more vaccinations. And the hustle and bustle of spring break gathers in Florida and other Gulf Coast states and national air travel numbers are reaching the peak of the pandemic era.
However, Wen still has her concerns.
“I think we will see an increase in infections, but not necessarily an increase in hospitalizations and deaths, which is again a very good thing,” she told CNN on Thursday. But we also note that many governors will not reimpose the restrictions unless we see our hospitals overwhelmed.
“So we could see a situation of many more infections that exceed our vaccines’ ability to work and people who dropped their guard but didn’t have the limitations to curb it. And I fear we could lose this as a result. variety of variants versus vaccines. “
In schools, 3 feet is the new 6 feet
The CDC is expected to update its physical distance guidelines for schools from 6 feet to 3 feet Friday, an administrative official confirmed to CNN.
The change to 1 meter is key to the safe reopening of schools, as most do not have the space for a distance of 1.8 meters with all students present. An analysis of reopening studies published last week found that school districts in Indiana, Virginia, and Massachusetts have all adopted a standard of 3 feet instead of 6 feet.
Those states “have not experienced a wave of cases that one would expect if those protections were somehow less adequate,” wrote education and policy expert John Bailey.
During Thursday’s Senate hearing, CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said that science on this issue has evolved over time.
“Indeed, because 6 feet was such a challenge there, science has leaned forward and there are now emerging studies on the matter between 1 and 2 meters,” she told Senator Susan Collins, a Maine Republican. “This is an urgent matter.”
Nearly 1 in 8 Americans is fully vaccinated
Meanwhile, vaccinations have gained momentum as officials try to get as many weapons as possible in their arms as soon as possible.
But challenges remain – including hesitation about vaccines, disinformation and inequalities.
The US should soon have enough vaccines on hand and will have to persuade unwilling people to get vaccinated, a top Health and Human Services Department official said Thursday.
“We will essentially have quadrupled our vaccine supply within 90 days,” said Dr. David Kessler, Chief Science Officer for COVID Response at HHS, at the Senate hearing. “I think we will soon be switching from a supply issue to a demand issue.”
In addition, the CDC will soon be releasing more guidelines on what people can do safely once they are fully vaccinated, Walensky said.
“We reiterate what we need to do in regards to travel for those who have been vaccinated and that should come up shortly. That will probably be the next step in this regard,” Walensky said.
The problem isn’t what’s safe for those vaccinated, but what’s safe for their contacts, she said.
“We are still looking at data on whether people who have been vaccinated can be asymptomatically infected and potentially pass it on to other people,” Walensky said. Doctors note that people who have been vaccinated may still be able to inhale the virus and make it live in the nose and throat – and exhale, cough, or sneeze contagious virus onto others.
CNN’s Steve Almasy, Melissa Alonso, Adrienne Broaddus, Chris Boyette, Elizabeth Cohen, Deidre McPhillips, Brandon Miller, Nick Neville, Rebekah Riess and Naomi Thomas contributed to this report.