i m concerned. let me tell you why, delta variant is everywhere in the country. it s incredibly contagious, way more contagious than we all thought in the beginning when we first identified the delta variant. so it s going to be a huge problem for us. and then, of course, as we ve talked about and you were discussing lots of pockets of poorly vaccinated communities that are really, ripe for large infectious outbreaks. so we are seeing now a delta surge. what i m worried about, what s going to slow this down? i don t think there s much of an appetite for large scale public health interventions. i think mask wearing is essential but my sense is people are over that as well. so only one thing stops this, which is large scale vaccinations and that s going to be hard given all the misinformation out there about vaccines. i want to ask you about that, doctor, because as dean of the brown university school of public health, brown obviously a
of brown university school of health. thank you for being with us and all that you do. i want to start with the delta variant that is dominating infections in the uk with its rapid spread and news that the same delta variant is behind a spike in u.s. infections. how worried are you about this variant and those people refusing to get vaccinated or who have not been able to get the shot yet who will obviously all be vulnerable? yeah, first of all, thank you for having me back. i am concerned about this. the delta variant wreaked havoc in india, and obviously most people that were not vaccinated, it s causing a three to fourfold increase in infections in the uk, largely in the unvaccinated. six to 10% in the united states, and it will grow and the real risk is all the unvaccinated people who are very, very
day. it s another record low since about a year ago. and this from the new york times, for the first time since march 5th of last year, san francisco general hospital had no covid patients, a truly momentous day. dr. jane, an infectious disease physician at the hospital said on thursday, michigan, the state that reported one of the largest surges in the spring has rapidly improved, about 1,400 cases were identified on sunday, compared with 7,800 cases a day in mid-april. let s bring in someone we have talked to all along the way, dr. jha, dean at brown university school of health. so, i have i feel like we have turned to you when the news is so bleak. the news is now so hopeful, so optimistic. do you expect to continue this trajectory? are you comfortable now? do you feel secure in saying good things are ahead? yes, nicole, thanks for having me back. i feel pretty comfortable saying the next few months should be even better than they are now.
If the US doesn’t reach 80% immunity, the nation could see another winter surge of coronavirus, says vaccine expert
As health experts point to the challenges the nation faces in reaching herd immunity, some are warning of the danger of not getting there: another surge of coronavirus this winter.
Vaccine expert Dr. Paul Offit reckons that 80% of the population needs to be immune to the virus in order to prevent that scenario.
“The proof will be in the pudding next winter,” Offit told CNN’s Jake Tapper. “If we don’t get there to 80%, then I think you’ll see another surge of this virus next winter.”
As health experts point to the challenges the nation faces in reaching herd immunity, some are warning of the danger of not getting there: another surge of coronavirus this winter.