Biden says getting there in late summer will be difficult

President Joe Biden has not pledged to achieve collective coronavirus immunity in the United States until the end of the summer, suggesting a long way to go to defeat the deadly virus.

“The idea that this can be done and that we can obtain collective immunity long before the end of this summer is very difficult,” said the Democrat in an interview broadcast on CBS on Sunday before the Super Bowl.

The comment came in response to the insistence of journalist Norah O’Donnell, who said that at the current rate of about 1.3 million doses administered per day, it would take almost a year to vaccinate enough Americans to achieve collective immunity.

The White House has set a target of 100 million doses in Biden’s first 100 days, at least, although the rate of vaccinations is currently higher than that. Biden appeared to increase his goal last month, saying he thinks the United States could administer up to 1.5 million doses a day.

Biden’s cautious comments are in line with the warnings of scientists and public health officials, as well as his earlier statements. They mark a reversal of the approach of Biden’s predecessor, former President Donald Trump, who often claimed that the end of the pandemic was near.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s leading epidemiologist, said that it would take a minimum of 75% of the public to be inoculated against Covid-19 to obtain collective immunity. He predicted a return to normal next fall.

Biden also said during the interview that he was exploring new ways to vaccinate more Americans more quickly.

He said he supported a proposal by the National Football League to use its 30 stadiums as centers of mass vaccination, but he did not actually commit to the plan.

“I am telling my team that they are available and I believe that we will use them,” said Biden.

The virus killed more than 460,000 people in the United States and infected almost 27 million.