Reaching 'Herd Immunity' Is Unlikely in the U.S., Experts Now Believe

The New York Times is reporting that herd immunity, or the level of vaccination required to eliminate coronavirus, is becoming less and less likely as the pathogen continues to mutate and the pace of immunization slows. U.S. public health experts initially had hoped to reach the targeted threshold of 60 percent to 70 percent of the population by this summer. Experts now calculate the herd immunity threshold to be at least 80 percent. If it turns out that immunized people can still spread coronavirus, another upward adjustment will be needed. Therefore, instead of eradication, scientists and public health experts expect the virus to linger for years to come. They do, however, believe the number of people who fall ill or die from it will probably decline significantly and that it will evolve into a seasonal occurrence, like influenza, eventually becoming more like a common cold.