Cincinnati.com: COVID-19: When will Ohio gain protective herd immunity from vaccines? Doctors can't be sure
UC expert expresses concern over 'pockets of resistance' to COVID-19 vaccines
In a story on when the people of Ohio can expect to gain protective herd immunity from COVID-19 vaccines, Carl Fichtenbaum, MD, of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the UC College of Medicine was one of the sources Cincinnati.com turned to. Fichtenbaum says he's concerned about recent uptick in cases and said the vaccine campaign needs to pick up speed and reach more Ohioans who are reluctant to get the shot.
Carl Fichtenbaum, MD, of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the UC College of Medicine/Photo/Joe Fuqua II/UC Creative + Brand
“My fear and the fear of infectious disease experts is that we need a higher amount to really create the appropriate herd immunity,” Fichtenbaum said. “But we’re hitting significant pockets of resistance with people who are not comfortable with being vaccinated. It’s a little bit hard to convince people who have fear not to have fear.”
Fichtenbaum also said, “If we get to 75% vaccinated in all communities, we’ll be OK. My fear is that we’ll be at 90% in some places and 40% in some others, and with the intermingling of humanity throughout the world, it won’t be enough for perfect herd immunity.”
Fichtenbaum was also interviewed by Bill Cunningham of 700 WLW in a segment on concerns over COVID-19 cases spiking in some states. Listen to that interview here.
Lead photo/Getty Images
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