NIH Boss: Herd Immunity Approaching in Some Areas

Staten Island Advance, N.Y.

As nationwide coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination efforts continue, the director of the National Institutes of Health said the United States was nearing herd immunity in some areas but was still "way behind" in others.

Dr. Francis Collins, the head of the agency, said on NBC's Meet the Press that herd immunity — a fluid target that he believes is within a range of approximately "70 to 85%" of the population having some level of protection from the disease — is more difficult to attain with unknowns surrounding emerging variants that could complicate that effort.

"You can see some places in the country that are getting close to that with the combination of having had a lot of cases of Covid, which also provides you with some immunity, plus the vaccines," said Collins. "But there are other places that are way behind. And those are the places we all worry about as the next hotspot."

Michigan, he noted, was in the midst of a dangerous surge that has only recently waned.

Collins said that encouraging vaccinations and inspiring "everybody to get engaged" could help blunt the effects of those outbreaks but added that vaccine hesitancy could step in the way of reaching herd immunity quickly.

"If we're going to be able to put COVID-19 behind us, we need to have all Americans take part in getting us to that point," said Collins.

In the United States, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data shows more than one-third of all adults are considered to be fully vaccinated, while over 53% have received at least one dose.

"Even if you don't think COVID-19 is that big a deal, tell me whether you haven't at some points worried about whether that's going to hit you and your family," he added. "This is the way to put that fear behind us and to get back to normal life. That's an incredible gift and you just have to unwrap that gift."