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Feb 11 (Reuters) - A slower-than-expected vaccine rollout and the rise of coronavirus variants may make attaining herd immunity against COVID-19 difficult, but that should not stop the economy from rebounding, according to a U.S. central banker Thursday.
“I don’t think the economy requires herd immunity,” Richmond Federal Reserve Bank President Thomas Barkin told Reuters Thursday. “Consumers who get vaccines, who have money in their pockets.are going to be free to spend,” he said.
Analysts have long predicted economic activity will pick up as more people are vaccinated, but hopes for a quick path to a fully immunized populace have faded amid vaccine shortages and other roadblocks. President Joe Biden said earlier this week it will be “challenging” for the economy to reach herd immunity by summer’s end. Barkin’s remarks signal a growing understanding that an economic rebound and an ongoing pandemic are not mutually exclusive realities.
Read more about US: Fed policymakers see rebound ahead, even if no Covid herd immunity on Business Standard. Analysts have long predicted economic activity will pick up as more people are vaccinated, but hopes for a quick path to a fully immunized populace have faded amid vaccine shortages
A slower-than-expected vaccine rollout and the rise of coronavirus variants may make attaining herd immunity against COVID-19 difficult, but that should not stop the economy from rebounding, according to a U.S. central banker Thursday.
5 Min Read
(Reuters) - A slower-than-expected vaccine rollout and the rise of coronavirus variants may make attaining herd immunity against COVID-19 difficult, but that should not stop the economy from rebounding, according to a U.S. central banker Thursday.
FILE PHOTO: Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond President Thomas Barkin poses during a break at a Dallas Fed conference on technology in Dallas, Texas, U.S., May 23, 2019. REUTERS/Ann Saphir
“I don’t think the economy requires herd immunity,” Richmond Federal Reserve Bank President Thomas Barkin told Reuters Thursday. “Consumers who get vaccines, who have money in their pockets.are going to be free to spend,” he said.