With more than 107 million people infected by the coronavirus, many people are wondering when the pandemic will end.
While there is no certain answer, if the increasing use of vaccines is anything to go by, it could be seven years.
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According to Bloomberg, which has built the biggest database of COVID-19 shots given around the world, there have been roughly 119 million doses of a vaccine administered worldwide.
Previously, health experts, including top US infectious disease official, Anthony Fauci, suggested it will take 70% to 85% coverage of the population for things to return to normal.
Bloomberg’s Vaccine Tracker shows that some countries are making far more rapid progress than others, using that 75% coverage with a two-dose vaccine as a target.⠀
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Israel, the country with the highest vaccination rate in the world, is headed for 75% coverage in just two months and the US will get there just before year-end.
However, vaccines are far more available in Western nations, with the World Health Organization noting that about 130 countries, representing 2.5 billion people, have not administered a single shot as yet. At the current pace of vaccinations, the world will take just about seven years before any semblance of pre-COVID normalcy returns. ⠀
