Amid new CDC guidance for vaccinated people, US may still hit a wall with vaccine hesitancy

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Tue, 2021-04-27 19:33 — mike kraft

(CNN) Just in time for warmer weather, fully vaccinated Americans can now safely enjoy more pre-pandemic activities without a mask, according to new guidelines from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

But health officials are seriously concerned about sputtering vaccine interest in some areas.

The CDC defines fully vaccinated people as those who are at least two weeks past their second dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccines, or at least two weeks past the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

They can now go mask-free while dining at an outdoor restaurant with friends from multiple households, the CDC announced Tuesday. ...

More than 29% of the US population is fully vaccinated, according to CDC data.

They can now safely enjoy more activities, including expanded travel options overseas.

But in many parts of the US, vaccination rates have plateaued or plummeted -- endangering chances of herd immunity and driving this pandemic to the ground.

Health experts say at least 70% to 85% of the country will need to be immune -- either through previous infection or vaccination -- to reach herd immunity.

One report warned the country's vaccine enthusiasm will likely reach a "tipping point" next month.

I think this is really just hitting the hesitancy wall," said Dr. Christopher Murray, director of the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.

Murray said he expects the US will "start to run out of people willing to be vaccinated" within a matter of weeks.

Among all Americans, 58% say they have had a vaccine dose or will get one as soon as possible, according to new data from the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) and Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC).

About 28% are "vaccine hesitant," saying they will wait and see before getting a shot or will only get inoculated if required to do so. The remaining 14% of Americans say they will definitely not get a Covid-19 vaccine, the survey found....

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