Biden Says Herd Immunity Doubtful By Summer’s End

Ahead of the big game on Sunday (Feb. 7), President Joe Biden expressed hope and optimism that next year, fans will be able to celebrate and watch the Super Bowl “as usual,” according to the CBS Evening News.

But until then, “be careful,” Biden told the American public, while he spoke with Norah O’Donnell, CBS Evening News anchor. The country faces an impressive challenge to reach herd immunity — where at least 75 percent of the country is inoculated against COVID-19 — he said.

“The idea that this can be done and we can get to herd immunity much before the end of next — this summer — is very difficult,” Biden said.

“We’ve ramped up every way we can,” Biden added. “We’re pushing as hard as we can to get more vaccines manufactured.”

The president also noted in the interview that the NFL has offered the use of all 32 of its stadiums for mass vaccinations to the general public, and he said he believes his team would use them.

Last week, the Biden administration announced that it planned to buy 200 million more doses of the vaccine from Pfizer and Moderna, bumping its total purchased to 600 million. This should be enough to give 300 million people the two doses needed for an effective vaccination. There are 331 million people in the U.S., and the vaccine has not yet been approved for children under the age of 16.

While people may be anxious to return to “normal” to celebrate Super Bowls, Thanksgivings, and birthdays in person, other habits — like shopping and getting groceries — have largely made a permanent shift to digital, according to PYMNTS data.

According to CBS, the U.S. had administered 41,210,937 doses of COVID-19 vaccines and distributed 59,307,800 doses as of Sunday morning, citing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).