<br><div><aside class="gnt_em gnt_em__fp gnt_em_vp__tp gnt_em__el" aria-label="Video - DeWine: Vaccine is 'ticket to freedom'"/><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">The U.S. has reported 30% of adults fully vaccinated, and nearly 50% of the U.S. adult population having received at least one vaccine dose, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.</p><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">But we're still a far way from herd immunity. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, has said the number could be as high as 85%. </p><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">Meanwhile, people will probably need a third shot of the Pfizer/BioNTech within 12 months of being fully vaccinated, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla<a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/15/pfizer-ceo-says-third-covid-vaccine-dose-likely-needed-within-12-months.html" rel="noopener" data-t-l=":b|e|inline click|${u}" class="gnt_ar_b_a"> told CNBC</a> on Thursday. Annual shots may also be needed, Bourla said.</p><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">COVID-19 variants will "play a key role" in determining what future vaccinations will be needed, <a target="_blank" href="https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/548492-pfizer-ceo-third-dose-of-covid-19-vaccine-likely-needed-within-12-months-of" rel="noopener" data-t-l=":b|e|inline click|${u}" class="gnt_ar_b_a">The Hill quotes Bourla</a>. The nation's primary focus at the moment should be vaccinating the population now to prevent the virus' spread, he said.</p><aside aria-label="advertisement" class="gnt_m gnt_x gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al"/><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">In addition, Fauci said this week that people may need to get booster shots for the COVID vaccines in a year,<a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/15/dr-fauci-when-we-will-need-booster-shots-for-covid-vaccine-timeline.html?utm_content=Main&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook#Echobox=1618502860" rel="noopener" data-t-l=":b|e|inline click|${u}" class="gnt_ar_b_a"> during an interview with MSNBC’s Medhi Hasan</a>. Recent data suggests that Pfizer and Moderna’s vaccines provide protection for at least six months, Fauci said.</p><p class="gnt_ar_b_p"><strong>Also in the news:</strong></p><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">►Chicago high schoolers may return to class for the first time in more than a year after the city's teachers union reached a tentative agreement Thursday with the school district. Terms of the agreement haven't been released yet. </p><aside aria-label="advertisement" class="gnt_m gnt_x gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al"/><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">►Johnson & Johnson asked Moderna and Pfizer to join a study into the risks of blood clots, but the rival companies declined,<a target="_blank" href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/j-j-privately-asked-rival-covid-19-vaccine-makers-to-probe-clotting-risks-11618570802?mod=hp_lead_pos1" rel="noopener" data-t-l=":b|e|inline click|${u}" class="gnt_ar_b_a"> the Wall Street...</a></p></div> <style> .wrapper { text-align: center; } </style> <div class="wrapper"> <a class="button" href ="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2021/04/16/covid-herd-immunity-vaccine-variants/7244790002/">Read more <span>➤</span></a> </div>
