US President Biden: "Herd Immunity Difficult to Achieve by This Summer"

President Joe Biden of the United States [Image source= AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Byunghee Park] U.S. President Joe Biden has reversed his previous stance, saying that herd immunity against COVID-19 is unlikely to be achieved before this summer. President Biden had stated at a White House press conference on the 25th of last month that "we will be moving toward herd immunity by summer."

According to major foreign media on the 7th (local time), President Biden said in an interview with CBS aired that day, "The idea that we can reach herd immunity before the end of this summer has become very difficult." He added, "If we had secured enough vaccines, it might have been a different story, but that is not the case." President Biden emphasized, "We are pushing as hard as possible to produce more vaccines."

Herd immunity refers to a state where most members of a population have immunity, suppressing the spread of an infectious disease and indirectly protecting those without immunity. As of that day, approximately 41.21 million vaccine doses had been administered in the United States.

President Biden also criticized the previous Trump administration for leaving the U.S. in a more 'frightening' situation than expected regarding vaccine supply.

President Biden said, "We understood that they implied there were far more vaccines available," adding, "But it turned out not to be the case. This is why we are accelerating every possible method."

President Biden also mentioned that he might consider using National Football League (NFL) stadiums as large-scale vaccination sites. The NFL made such a proposal to the Biden administration last week. Additionally, President Biden said he expects the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to issue guidelines regarding school reopening on the 10th.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.