Editorial: COVID ‘herd immunity’ may be out of reach. Deal with it
LA TimesSince the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have collectively focused on that point in the future when so many people have been inoculated or have obtained natural immunity, normal life could resume and this painful period would dissolve into the mists of history. But it seems that this magical moment in which the U.S. hits “herd immunity” and COVID-19 is stopped dead in its tracks isn’t likely to happen soon, if ever. Top health experts now say that due to a combination of waning demand for vaccines, uneven vaccination levels across the country and the spread of more contagious strains, the U.S. may have to live with COVID-19 for the foreseeable future. With so many Americans unwilling to put aside their irrational fears or mistrust of government and get a jab, it’s hard to see the U.S. ever reaching a point where COVID-19 is as rare as bubonic plague.