The World Health Organization said Monday that even with the widespread rollout of vaccination programs, herd immunity will not be achieved in2021.
Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the health body's chief scientist, spoke at a press conference and urged people to continue strict social distancing measures for the rest of the year because it will take a while to build up that immunity. "Even as vaccines start protecting the most vulnerable, we’re not going to achieve any levels of population immunity or herd immunity in 2021," Swaminathan said. "Even if it happens in a couple of pockets, in a few countries, it’s not going to protect people across the world." "The vaccines are going to come," she continued.