True "herd immunity" where the virus literally disappears is impossible. Israel still has a trickle of cases each day. But an endemic virus where most people are vaccinated is very different than a pandemic where most people are vulnerable to at least moderate illness.
https://twitter.com/seungminkim/status/1389175950911344641
I think we will see major regional variation going forward. It will start to reflect vaccination rates, but it will still be subject to seasonal changes. So low-vax areas in the South won't get many cases until summer when people congregate indoors in the AC. Like last July.
Whether those regional flare-ups will affect local hospital resources remains to be seen. My guess is that even vax hesitant areas will end up ok on that front bc the most vulnerable will be the most likely to vaccinate, though there will definitely be more unnecessary deaths.
Either way, an endemic, vaccine-controlled virus is one where public health policy should allow a return to pre-2020 normal activity, and very soon. Public health is rarely an all-or-nothing proposition. Individuals will have to manage their risk based on personal factors.
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