RI Dept. of Health’s Standard for Herd Immunity Is Inconsistent with Dr. Fauci’s
GoLocalProv News Team
RI Dept. of Health’s Standard for Herd Immunity Is Inconsistent with Dr. Fauci’s
In Rhode Island, somewhere between an estimated 750,000 and 900,000 need to reach immunity through infection or vaccination to reach a herd immunity standard. Therefore, the target percentage number is critical to know how many need to be vaccinated to allow schools and businesses to reopen or when major events like a URI basketball game and Newport Jazz Festival can be held safely.
“You have to get 75% to 85% of the population vaccinated, because if you do that …you get an umbrella of herd immunity. The level of infection is going to go down..then you can approach normal,” said Fauci during an interview this week on CNN.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTFauci, the top medical advisor to President Joe Biden, said that if America can implement a comprehensive vaccination program then the return to normalcy can begin by “the end of the summer beginning or the fall.”
However, Fauci warned that that the emerging new strains of the coronavirus -- the UK, South African and Brazilian strains -- could disrupt this schedule.
“There is an absolute but in that, you have to address the variants,” warned Fauci.
While Fauci says the country needs to achieve 75% to 85% immunity, RIDOH asserts that their standard is 50% to 70% -- but could offer no support to their standard.
The difference between RIDOH’s low of 50% and Fauci’s high of 85% could be the difference of nearly more than 450,000 vaccine doses being administered in Rhode Island.