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Fauci raises its herd immunity estimate for COVID
Herd immunity against COVID-19 may require vaccination rates close to 90 percent, according to U.S. infectious disease specialist Dr. Anthony Fauci, who on Thursday admitted that he had raised his previous estimates. Fauci’s revised figure came in an interview with the New York Times on Thursday, his 80th birthday. Meanwhile, the country continues to mark new dark milestones … with more than 3,000 coronavirus deaths reported for the second consecutive day. According to Reuters data, the death toll across the country was more than 326,000 by midnight on Wednesday … the same day that more Americans flew than on any other day since the emergence of the pandemic in March. More than 1.1 million passengers passed through the airport’s checkpoints two days before Christmas, according to the US Transportation Security Administration. Airport traffic on Wednesday exceeded the maximum set during the November 29 pandemic – the Sunday after Thanksgiving Day … which means that many Americans disregarded the advice of public health experts who warned against festive events. Leading health officials believe that those who traveled and gathered indoors for Thanksgiving Day contributed to the latest explosion of cases. Most Americans have been told it could take six months or more before they are eligible for Coronavirus vaccines.