‘SUPER Covid’ strains in the US could increase infection rates to such a degree that even vaccinating all Americans won’t stop the coronavirus, a new study warns.
Highly infectious variants detected in the US, factored in with the efficacy of vaccines, result in a reproduction rate above zero that means every Covid-19 case will lead to another, according to a University of East Anglia analysis.
The pandemic would be “stable” if the virus reproduction rate was at one, and waning if the figure fell below zero, The Daily Mail reported on Thursday.
Given Pfizer’s vaccine is 95 percent effective, more than 80 percent of the population would need to take the jab to drive the reproduction figure of a Covid-19 variant below zero, researchers claim.
The study concludes that the Pfizer vaccine and the 94 percent effective Moderna shot would not push the reproduction number to zero.
And Oxford’s 70 percent effective jab apparently would not be able to force the reproduction rate below one, even if it was administrated to 100 percent of the population.
The US’s average reproduction rate number stands at 1.1.
However, the “super Covid” variant from the UK and other strains from South African and Brazil that have not been detected among Americans could push the reproduction figure up 70 percent.
In addition, the US has a two homegrown “super Covid” strains that were found in Columbus, Ohio.
Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) predicted that the UK variant could become the dominant strain in the US come March.
America’s top infectious disease expert Dr Anthony Fauci estimated that 75 to 90 percent of the population needs to take the jab for the country to reach herd immunity.
The US has fallen far behind in administering available vaccine dosages, with only 5.2 percent of the population reached so far.
If the spread of the variants outpace vaccinations, herd immunity via the jab could become impossible.
Joe Biden on his first day as president on Wednesday signed numerous executive orders to combat the pandemic, including a mandate requiring masks to be worn at federal properties and land.
He entered office with the promise of vaccinating 100 million Americans in his first 100 days.
Biden has also rolled out plans to open 100 vaccination centers at convention centers and stadiums and help fund jab sites across the states.
But because no vaccination produced so far is 100 percent effective, variants can continue to spread.
