Road to herd immunity hits hurdles with ‘wait-and-seers’

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A year into the pandemic, we know as much as 90% of the country needs to be vaccinated to eliminate the threat of COVID-19 in the United States.

The White House and Congress have set aside $1.5 billion for a campaign trying to build confidence in the U.S.

By May, everyone who wants a vaccine should be able to get one.

READ: Here’s where to find the COVID-19 vaccine in your county

Doctors broke down the non-vaxers into three categories: Strong conservatives, the Black community that still doesn’t trust the vaccine and Hispanics who are afraid to get into the medical system out of fear of the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

But there is another category: The wait-and-seers. And those folks could be holding up herd immunity.

Dr. Ross McKinney, chief scientific officer at the Association of American Medical Colleges, said it’s hard to tell just how many are out there and how long they will wait. However, he said that number should start to go down as more and more people get the vaccine.

READ: COVID-19 vaccine demand surges as Orange County, Florida lower eligibility age

It is difficult to tell exactly what the sweet spot is for herd immunity, but there will be signs along the way that we are getting closer.

That will be when folks aren’t being infected as much by those asymptomatic people at the grocery store or gym anymore.

READ: Florida reports 2,800 new COVID-19 cases, 39 virus-related deaths

Cox Media Group