As things in the U.S. begin to open up, scientists and public health experts are worried about how much of the country is vaccinated. In order for life to get back to normal, enough people must be vaccinated to protect against COVID-19. The problem is, many people are not sure about getting the vaccine.
What is Herd Immunity?
A vaccine is a shot that trains the body to fight against a disease when it comes in contact with it. Some of the vaccines that have been developed are measles, polio, and now COVID-19. Along those lines, herd immunity happens when enough people in the population become immune to a virus or disease. This means they can no longer get sick from a virus or disease, making it less likely to spread, which helps keep everyone in the community safe. Herd immunity can happen when enough people in a community have gotten vaccinated against a virus. It can also happen when people that get sick with the virus are able to fight it off and their body can protect itself if they were to get sick again. According to livescience.com, the term “herd immunity” comes from researchers at the University of Manchester. The term was used to talk about how a herd of mice could become immune to a disease even if they all did not get a shot against it. The best way for any population to reach herd immunity is by getting vaccinated.
In the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, experts such as Dr. Anthony Fauci, believed that once everyone could get a vaccine herd immunity could be possible with a threshold, or level, of 60 to 70 percent of the United States population. Even with vaccines getting in people’s arms fast, the level for herd immunity went up. The increase in the number to reach herd immunity is because of the rise in different types or variants of the COVID-19 virus. When the first threshold of 60 to 70 percent was given, there was only one type of COVID-19 virus. Now that there are different types of the virus, in March 2021, Dr. Anthony Fauci said that 70-85 percent of the people in the United States will need to be immune to COVID-19 to get herd immunity instead of the 60 to 70 percent he thought before.
All About the Covid-19 Vaccine
As the race to get shots in arms continues, it will be key to make sure as many people get the vaccine as possible. Right now, there are three vaccines that are being used in the United States. There are two types of vaccines that people can get, mRNA vaccines and viral vector vaccines. The mRNA vaccines, which are the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, teach our body’s cells how to make a certain protein. The protein tells our body when it is time to fight off the virus. The viral vector vaccine, which is the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, has a type of a different virus (the vector) that gives our body directions on how to fight the virus. For both of these types of vaccines, if a person who has gotten the shot comes in contact with the virus, their body remembers how to fight it off so they don’t contract COVID-19. Think about it like a protective shield. When someone who is vaccinated is near the COVID-19 virus, their body knows how to protect them from the virus so they don’t get sick.
Studies show that the Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson (J&J) vaccine all work really well against the virus. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines take two shots three weeks apart, and the Johnson & Johnson vaccine only takes one shot. For all the vaccines, two weeks after the last shot a person will be “fully protected”.
There can be side effects or things that happen after someone gets their shot like headaches, fever, or tiredness, but these don’t last too long. As of May 2021, all adults and teenagers aged 12 and up are able to get a shot if they want one, but some groups of people will not get the vaccine at all. Some people may not get the vaccine because of religious reasons or medical conditions that prevent them from getting it. Additionally, there is also a group of people that are not sure if they want to get the vaccine. Some reasons they are not sure include: being worried about what could happen after getting the shot, not being completely sure if it’s safe, them wanting more people to get it before they do, and not trusting the government. People that are not sure about the vaccine will be the group to focus on in order to try to get herd immunity in the U.S.
Can the U.S. Reach Herd Immunity?
How much the U.S. can get life “back to normal” will depend on how many people are vaccinated. Experts now believe that reaching herd immunity may not be possible now or in the future. They believe that instead of herd immunity, COVID-19 will get to a point where it will become manageable. Meaning, people will still get the virus and deaths will still occur, but they will be at a much smaller number, and this will depend on people continuing to get vaccinated. Some experts think that the COVID-19 virus will become like a seasonal cold or flu.
As of May 2021, 50% of adults in the United States were fully vaccinated. In May 2021, Pfizer became the first vaccine in the U.S. approved for use among children 12 to 15 years old. Later in 2021, scientists hope the vaccine will be available for even younger children. As kids become vaccinated, there still could be hope for the U.S. to reach herd immunity.
Reaching herd immunity is important to help stop the spread of the virus, and to help life return back to normal.
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