Dr. Fauci says herd immunity is 'unattainable' for COVID-19. Here's why

Achieving classical herd immunity against SARS-CoV-2 is "unlikely" despite the effectiveness of vaccines, according to health experts.

Herd immunity refers to how much of the population needs to be vaccinated or infected with COVID-19 in order to "eradicate or eliminate" the disease.

The country's top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci spoke about herd immunity during an interview with KCRA 3 and the National Press Foundation.

During the interview, Fauci outlined what makes reaching classical herd immunity difficult from other diseases, including polio, measles, or smallpox.

"The big stumbling block with COVID is that history has already shown us we've had five separate variants with five separate surges, and the immunity to coronaviruses is very self-limited and fleeting," Fauci said. "So when you think of herd immunity, you think of two factors that are required; one, a virus that doesn't change much, and two immunity that's long-lasting. That's the reason why you can readily get herd immunity with measles, you can get it with smallpox, and you can get it with polio. Why? They have two characteristics or three characteristics that are very much unlike the characteristics of SARS-CoV-2. One, the virus doesn't change. The measles that was circulating 50 years ago, is the same measles that are circulating now. Number two, if you get infected with measles, or you get vaccinated with measles, the durability of the protection is measured in decades, and likely for a lifetime. And three, there's a universal acceptance of the vaccination programs for measles of polio, and smallpox. For that reason, you get good herd immunity. We don't have any of those factors with COVID."

Fauci also discussed his concerns about COVID-19 funding, monkeypox, and living in the "normalization of untruths."

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Source: KCRA News

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