I think Texas Governor Greg Abbott counted his chickens before they hatched when he went on national television to boast that Texas is "very close" to herd immunity.



According to a report from the Texas Tribune, as of April 11, Texas has administered 14.3 million vaccine doses, and 19.4% of its population is fully vaccinated.

Greg Abbott recently spoke with Fox News Sunday and stated:

"I don’t know what herd immunity is, but when you add that to the people who have immunity, it looks like it (Texas) could be very close to herd immunity.”

Michael Osterholm, an epidemiologist and director of the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, spoke with the New York Times and stated, “There is no way on God’s green earth that Texas is anywhere even close to herd immunity.”

Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical advisor to the President, has stated that he estimates that about 70% or more of the population would need to be vaccinated to reach herd immunity.

So what exactly is herd immunity? According to Harvard Medical School:

"Herd immunity occurs when enough people become immune to a disease to make its spread unlikely. As a result, the entire community is protected, even those who are not themselves immune. Herd immunity is usually achieved through vaccination, but it can also occur through natural infection."

Either way you spin it, Texas is NOT "very close" to herd immunity. If there's one thing you shouldn't play with, it's your life. Listen to the scientific experts to make an informed decision, not the guy who's coming up for re-election in 2022 and wants to make it appear that everything is perfectly fine in the midst of a pandemic.

LOOK: Answers to 30 common COVID-19 vaccine questions

While much is still unknown about the coronavirus and the future, what is known is that the currently available vaccines have gone through all three trial phases and are safe and effective. It will be necessary for as many Americans as possible to be vaccinated in order to finally return to some level of pre-pandemic normalcy, and hopefully these 30 answers provided here will help readers get vaccinated as soon they are able.

 

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