Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease doctor, recently stated that if the coming vaccination campaign goes well, we could approach herd immunity by summer’s end and “normality that is close to where we were before” by the end of 2021. But that is a very big “if.” If 75 percent to 80 percent of Americans are vaccinated, then the U.S. should reach the herd immunity threshold months later. If vaccination levels are lower, it could take a very long time to reach that level of protection.
When the COVID-19 vaccine becomes available to you, you should get the shot.
Some people are wary of getting the vaccine because of how quickly it was developed. Rest assured, the mRNA technology behind the Covid-19 vaccine has been under development for decades. While its compressed timeline was aided by governmental funding, the vaccine was worked on by thousands of scientists, underwent a rigorous three-phase clinical trials process, and was approved by both the FDA and the CDC.
Others are worried about the supply of the vaccine. It’s true that distribution so far has been somewhat haphazard from state to state. However, President Biden recently announced that his administration is working to purchase an additional 200 million doses with the goal, the White House says, of having enough for the entire adult U.S. population by the end of the summer.
Missouri has a tiered priority system for receiving the vaccine. You can see when you’re eligible and find vaccination locations below.
https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/i-m-black-doctor-who-didn-t-trust-covid-vaccine-ncna1255085
R. Verbeke, I. Lentacker, S. C. De Smedt, & H.Dewitte. (2019). Three decades of messenger RNA vaccine development. Nano Today,(28).doi.org/10.1016/j.nantod.2019.100766.
