The level and length of time of natural protection the human body provides from the novel coronavirus after recovery from an initial infection are still unknown, as is whether someone can carry and transmit the virus post-infection, says Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
“We do not know the duration of the durability of protection from yourself to get reinfected as well as spreading to others,” Fauci said on NBC’s “Today” show, <a href=”https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/coronavirus-pandemic-vaccine-updates-01-15-21/h_0464e01957f268352dfaa64f23fece4c” target=”blank”>CNN reported</a>. “We are doing studies to answer those types of questions.”
Fauci’s comments come as the U.S. attempts to ramp up vaccine distribution efforts, which have stumbled out of the gate. So far, more than 30 doses of vaccine have been distributed nationwide, but only about 11 million have been administered, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.
As of Friday, the U.S. has roughly 23.3 million coronavirus cases and 389,000 virus-related deaths, both tops globally, according to a Johns Hopkins University tracker.
