Dr. Fauci says US could be back to normal by early fall 2021
COVID vaccines will be administered in phases until April, after which it becomes 'open season'
Dr. Fauci is hopeful that as more Americans begin receiving COVID-19 vaccinations, the nation could return to normal by the fall of 2021.
Speaking to California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday via a virtual Facebook conversation, the nation’s top infectious diseases expert said herd immunity could be achieved once 70-85% of the population get vaccinated, per CBS 13.
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“I believe that if we do the kind of vaccines through April, May, June, July, that by the time we get to the early fall, we will have enough good herd immunity to be able to really get back to some strong semblance of normality,” Fauci said. “Schools, theaters, sporting events, restaurants. I believe if we do it correctly, we will be there by the early fall.”
Read More: Dr. Fauci says virus vaccine could be available for all Americans by April
Last week, Dr. Fauci and other top government health officials received their first dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, theGRIO reported. He chose to get it done publicly as “a symbol to the rest of the country.”
“I’m doing it because I want to symbolize to people the importance that everyone gets vaccinated who can get vaccinated, but also it’s a good feeling of accomplishment because this originated in laboratories in my institute,” Dr. Fauci said at the time.
The vaccines will be administered in phases until around April, after which it becomes “open season.”
“Let’s say in April, it will be what I call open season, namely, anybody who wants to get vaccinated can get vaccinated,” Fauci said in the Facebook interview. “If we then diligently vaccinate people in April, May, June, July, then we will gradually and noticeably get a degree of protection approaching herd immunity.”
Elsewhere in the conversation with Newsom, Dr. Fauci noted that he was “not surprised” after learning a new COVID variant strain was detected in Southern California.
This highly contagious new stain originated in the United Kingdom, and the first confirmed case in the US was in Colorado on Tuesday.
California has reported 2.24 million COVID cases and over 25,000 deaths related to the virus, according to Johns Hopkins University.
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