Fauci cautions that a Covid-19 vaccine won't eliminate the need for masks and public health measures

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Thu, 2020-09-24 17:11 — mike kraft

Fauci cautions that a Covid-19 vaccine won't eliminate the need for masks and public health measures Dr. Anthony Fauci said Thursday that even an effective Covid-19 vaccine won't replace the need for other public health measures, such as wearing a mask, social distancing and washing hands. Christina Maxouris and Eric Levenson, CNN CNN

(CNN)Dr. Anthony Fauci said Thursday that even an effective Covid-19 vaccine won't replace the need for other public health measures, such as wearing a mask, social distancing and washing hands.

Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the vaccine will not be 100% effective and taken by 100% of the population -- which means there still will be room for Covid-19 to spread.

"It is not going to eliminate the need to be prudent and careful with our public health measures," he said in a Facebook Live conversation with New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy.

Fauci said he's being "practical" when he says, "I think if we can get 75 to 80% of the population vaccinated, I think that would be a really good accomplishment. ...

According to Fauci, a "large proportion" of the US will not be vaccinated against Covid-19 this year.

"We're not going to have all of the doses available, for example, by the end of December, they will be rolling in as the months go by," Fauci said. "By the time you get to maybe the third or fourth month of the 2021, then you'll have doses for everyone," he said Wednesday.

Those prioritized for the vaccine will likely be health care providers, people with underlying conditions and vulnerable populations, he said.

Fauci's comments were made as nearly half of US states now report a rise in new Covid-19 cases. In addition, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Robert Redfield said preliminary results on the first round of a CDC study show more than 90% of the population -- or more than 295 million Americans -- is susceptible to the virus. ...

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