| With so many areas in the United States with low vaccination rates, the spread of the delta variant of the coronavirus will make it that much harder for the country to reach herd immunity, a top expert says.
“We don’t exactly know what the herd immunity percentage would be for COVID-19. It would be different for the delta variant, and higher, because it is more transmissible,” Dr. Rachel Levine told CNN.
“But we know … that people who are vaccinated are protected against this delta variant. And they’re extremely unlikely to get sick and it’s virtually impossible for them to require hospitalizations,” said Levine, who is the assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Herd immunity is the point where a virus can no longer infect people because enough people already have it or are vaccinated against it.
Estimates vary on how much of the population needs to have immunity to reach that goal. Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has said herd immunity might be reached if 70% to 85% of people are immune.
The delta variant, which was first seen in India, can infect people more easily and causes even more severe illnesses.
Experts agree that the best protection against the delta variant is vaccination.
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