Reaching herd immunity from the Coronavirus before summer is difficult: Biden

President Joe Biden has said that the United States is unlikely to achieve herd immunity against the Coronavirus before the end of the summer due to a lack of a vaccine available.

“The idea that this can be done and we can get herd immunity long before the end of this summer is a very difficult idea,” Biden said in an interview with CBS News broadcast on Sunday.

Herd immunity means that a sufficient number of people become resistant to the disease and is unlikely to spread. This provides protection for the entire community, including individuals who are not individually immune, according to Harvard University. It is usually achieved by vaccination.

In the United States, logistical delays and vaccine shortages have resulted in only a small percentage of the population having received shots since two different vaccines became available in December.

“Look, it was one thing if we had enough vaccine, and we don’t do that. So we’re pushing all we can to make more vaccines.”

To date, 40.5 million doses have been administered in the United States, according to the Bloomberg Vaccine Tracker.

Biden also said his administration may accept an offer from the National Football League to make its stadiums available as mass vaccination sites. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell made the offer in a speech last week.

“I tell my team they are available and I think we will use them,” Biden said in the interview, which was recorded at the White House on Friday.

Biden blamed the Trump administration for leaving the United States in a “much worse” situation than expected with regard to vaccine supplies.

“We thought they indicated that there are many vaccines available,” he said. This was not the case. That is why we escalated as much as possible. “

Earlier, Anthony Fauci, the leading infectious disease specialist in America, commented on NBC that the US “could have employed companies more aggressively to get more doses” early on.

Fauci expects better shot availability starting this month.

Biden also said he expects the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to provide guidelines for reopening schools starting Wednesday. Teachers’ unions have raised objections to the reopening of schools in some areas, citing the high rate of infection in the community and the lack of adequate precautions to prevent the spread in classrooms.

“It is time to reopen schools safely,” Biden said. “You got to have fewer people in the classroom. You got to have the ventilation systems reworked.”