“Herd immunity difficult due to skepticism about Covid vaccines”. This is what Ilaria Capua claims, commenting on the decline in vaccinations in the United States, which went from 3 million to 2.2 million per day. “The reason is not just one but I feel I can say that there is still a segment of the population that greatly underestimates this health emergency and that refuses vaccination or does not see the benefit”. “This is because there are a whole series of leaders who have a different point of view from the scientific one on the management of the epidemic”, explains the virologist to Corriere della Sera, adding that she does not feel “to say that skepticism is a problem that concerns specifically African Americans; it is clear that pandemics are transformational events that bring out the fragility of systems: one of the undoubted weaknesses in the United States is the gap in medical care and the approach to health between the various ethnic groups “. “You cannot blame those in remote or disadvantaged places – continues Capua – The vaccination campaign went very well as long as it was conducted among the aware population who did everything to get vaccinated. Now we need to work on the skeptics. Some States , including Florida, have lifted the restrictions: here half of the population follows what I would call not so much denial but “underestimation.” Hence, many voices in Health American public are taking action to recover this segment of the population, which at the moment can make a difference. Herd immunity takes time to develop, with vaccination accelerates. Of course, if a significant portion of the population does not vaccinate and restriction measures are in place (which circulate the virus less, but also prevent antibodies from developing), herd immunity will come later. We have responded to this pandemic with vaccination in an extremely effective way: it was not taken for granted that in a year we would have vaccines that work ”. “But only with science and without politics and thanks to often ambiguous communication – says the Italian virologist who works at the University of Florida – it will be difficult to achieve herd immunity in the hoped-for time. Skepticism is taking a toll on us. There is also another increasingly worrying phenomenon: some do not go for the second dose. But the important thing is that, in any case, protecting vulnerable people the situation takes a completely different turn, because there is no high concentration of sick people who need hospital care. The fact that herd immunity will not be achieved by the end of this year or next does not mean that we will not defeat the virus. It means that in the meantime we are defeating it thanks to the protection of the elderly and different lifestyles. Perhaps we will reach it in a longer time. Then we must also see how long immunity lasts: if it lasts 6-8 months it will be more difficult to achieve herd immunity ”. “Let’s start thinking about the autumn campaign – he concludes – when vaccinating for the flu, let’s do it also for Covid, aiming at 80% of the vaccinated for both. We do not know in September what level of immunity the elderly who were vaccinated in January will have. As we gather information and study the disease, it is best to protect ourselves. My 16-year-old daughter took the second dose and I am absolutely in favor of vaccinating children, because non-immune children can bring the virus to the home of their grandfather no-vax or those who are already battling a malignant tumor ”.