Articles
Herd immunity and COVID-19 (coronavirus): What you need to know
Content
Why is herd immunity important?
How is herd immunity achieved?
What’s the outlook for achieving herd immunity in the U.S.?
How can you slow the transmission of COVID-19?
What’s the outlook for achieving herd immunity in the U.S.?
The U.S. is currently making progress toward herd immunity through a combined approach. The number of fully vaccinated adults continues to rise. In addition, more than 31 million people in the U.S. have had confirmed infections with the COVID-19 virus — though, again, it�s not clear how long immunity lasts after infection.
Given the challenges, it�s not clear if or when the U.S. will achieve herd immunity.
However, the FDA-approved and FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective at protecting against severe illness requiring hospitalization and death due to COVID-19. Even if it isn�t currently possible to stop transmission of the COVID-19 virus, the vaccines are allowing people to better be able to live with the virus.
