Thread by @PeterHotez

1/3: Many thanks ⁦@MartinSavidge⁩ for hosting me @CNN discussing two necessary performance features of OpWarpSpeed #COVID19 vaccines: 1) reducing severe infection and keeping you out of hospital and the ICU, and 2) interrupting virus transmission through herd immunity

2/3: I think we checked the box on the first one, which is great, but herd immunity is a high bar. We know this through our studies with @bruce_y_lee @CUNYSPH finding we’ll need 70-80% coverage with a vaccine that also stops virus 🦠 shedding - those shedding studies in progress

3/3: And to achieve 70-80% coverage in US we’ll need: 1) multiple different types of vaccines, mRNA vaccines alone probably won’t get us there, 2) to also vaccinate adolescents children, studies underway, 3) launch a communication strategy, 4) halt antivaccine disinformation

So far the US Govt, techs, non-profits have shown little appetite for halting antivaccine disinformation. It means going up against aggression coming from groups linked to political extremism + confronting Russia to stop their program of weaponized health communication