ABC-7 Xtra: Expert says 70% of El Pasoans need to be vaccinated to achieve so-called herd immunity
EL PASO, Texas -- The Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine was approved and is on its way to El Paso. But how many El Pasoans need to be vaccinated before we can begin removing our masks and go back to hugging our loved ones?
Dr. Ogechika Alozie, an El Paso infectious disease expert, told ABC-7 Xtra on Sunday night that a certain percentage of the population will have to be vaccinated in order for us to begin to return to normal.
“It doesn't shut the transmission down but reduces it to a point where we can continue to live in society. That number is usually between 60 and 70 per cent,” said Alozie, who sits on the Texas governor's task force on infectious disease preparedness.
Covid-19 vaccinations could begin as early as Monday or Tuesday, but it may be the summer before the general public is vaccinated.
“The best estimate for El Paso, despite all that we’ve gone through, is maybe 15 to 25 per cent of El Pasoans have been connected with Covid-19," Alozie explained.
"To really get us to that so-called herd immunity, we need 70-plus percent vaccinated to get us to a point to a year from now where families can start get back to their celebrations that we all want to," he added.
