Italy Optimistic to Achieve Herd Immunity by the end of September 2021
Italy is optimistic that it will soon achieve herd immunity or immunity against the COVID-19 coronavirus, according to the Italian pandemic commissioner.
Army Corps General Francesco Paolo Figliuolo, also Italy's Extraordinary Commissioner for COVID-19 Emergencies said that more than 80 percent of the eligible population in Italy had received at least one dose of the vaccine.
Quoted from the Xinhua page, Wednesday (8/9/2021), he estimates that the same percentage of eligible residents will be fully vaccinated by the end of September.
"Italy is close to herd immunity," said Figliuolo. "By the end of this month, we will have reached 80 percent of the population fully immunized."
Immunity immunity refers to the point when enough of a population has resistance to an infectious disease, and it becomes difficult for the disease to spread in that population.
More than 70 percent of those in the 19-29 age group had received at least one dose, which was a milestone for the country, the general said.
Ask Italians to Stay Careful
Figliuolo also game togel online urged caution, noting that 1.8 million Italians in their 50s -- a vulnerable age group -- have not been vaccinated against COVID-19.
"We are making progress, but we also have to learn to live with the virus," he said.
According to the Ministry of Health, nearly 39 million Italians had been vaccinated as of Tuesday (7/9), equivalent to 72.2 percent of the country's population aged 12 years or older.