York Daily Record
As the number of Pennsylvania residents with at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine passed 50%, state officials have said there would be enough vaccine to immunize 80% of everyone 16 and over by the end of June.
That would mean Pennsylvania could hit a key target to achieve herd immunity before the 4th of July. Wouldn’t that be a wonderful 4th of July celebration, to hit 80% community immunity in the state of Pennsylvania? said Acting Physician General Denise Johnson. I mean we can t really put a timeline on it, but it s nice to think about.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, has said the nation must achieve a vaccination rate of about 80% to reach herd immunity. Other health experts have said herd immunity won’t be reached until 90% of the population is vaccinated.
Gov. Tom Wolf says there is a light at the end of the tunnel with the growing availability of vaccines but still a lot of work to be done before Pennsylvania beats the coronavirus pandemic.Wolf made the comments Friday during a visit to a Rite Aid in Steelton that is administering the COVID-19 vaccine.Wolf said it has been a trying year in many different ways. There s a lot of sadness. At this point, though, we have something we didn t have a year ago, and that is hope,” he said.Earlier this week, Wolf eased gathering limits and lifted out-of-state travel restrictions. He also announced a teacher vaccination plan.But the governor thinks it’s still too soon to fully reopen. I want to be cognizant of what the CDC is saying. The federal government is saying, ‘Let’s not take our foot off the gas pedal too quickly here,’” Wolf said.Wolf said vaccine supply from the federal remains a big problem, though the state’s weekly allotment of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines ros