Concerns that the U.S. is approaching the tipping point on vaccination demande

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Wed, 2021-04-21 10:16 — mike kraft

US may soon reach a tipping point on Covid-19 vaccine demand. Here's why that's concerning As US health officials race to get more Covid-19 shots into arms to control the virus, experts now warn the country will run into another challenge in the next few weeks: vaccine supply will likely outstrip demand. Christina Maxouris, CNN CNN

(CNN) As US health officials race to get more Covid-19 shots into arms to control the virus, experts now warn the country will run into another challenge in the next few weeks: vaccine supply will likely outstrip demand.

"While timing may differ by state, we estimate that across the U.S. as a whole we will likely reach a tipping point on vaccine enthusiasm in the next 2 to 4 weeks," the Kaiser Family Foundation said in a new report published Tuesday.

"Once this happens, efforts to encourage vaccination will become much harder, presenting a challenge to reaching the levels of herd immunity that are expected to be needed."

Health officials -- including Dr. Anthony Fauci -- estimate that somewhere between 70% to 85% of the country needs to be immune to the virus -- either through inoculation or previous infection -- to suppress is spread.

So far, roughly 40.1% of the population has gotten at least one Covid-19 vaccine dose, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). And about 26% of the population is fully vaccinated, that data shows.

A slowing vaccine demand now, experts say, could give dangerous coronavirus variants the opportunity to continue to mutate, spread and set off new surges -- and it could delay the country's return to a semblance of normalcy.

Parts of the US are already seeing fewer people sign up for a shot.

Kristy Fryman, the emergency response coordinator and public information officer for the Mercer County Health District in Ohio, told CNN on Tuesday that vaccine demand in the county is "slowing down."

The county's younger population isn't as eager to get vaccinated, Fryman said, and "have the sense that if they get Covid, it may not be as bad." ...

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