The anti-vaxx movement could be standing in the way of one day eradicating the coronavirus across the US, UK and more, according to US chief medical officer Dr Anthony Fauci.
Speaking on Radio 4's How to Vaccinate the World programme, Dr Fauci compared efforts to eradicate Covid-19 to that of measles, with both viruses being spread through infectious droplets in coughs and sneezes.
"Measles has a spectacularly effective vaccine, it is 98 per cent effective at preventing infection," Fauci said.
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"And yet because of the failings of the vaccination programmes in different parts of the world as well as the anti-vaxx feelings some countries have - I know the UK are experiencing that, just as the US is - you have to have a uniform acceptance of the vaccine in order to really eradicate an infection.
He added: "I think that would be a difficult goal to achieve, at least right now."
The infectious diseases expert also suggested double-masking for extra protection, as the US records more than 465,000 deaths as a result of the pandemic.
"It just makes common sense that it likely would be more effective," he said. "You know it likely does [stop infection] because this is a physical covering to prevent droplets and virus to get in."
While he said he was unsure as to how much of the population would need to be vaccinated in order to achieve herd immunity, he once again referred to measles, saying: "We know for measles it is about 90 per cent and once you get into the 80s you get breakthrough infections as we've seen sadly in the US."
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He added that herd immunity could be achieved in countries with an 'overwhelming' proportion of the population getting the jab.
"I think it is achievable in the UK, I think it's achievable in the EU as well as in the US," he said.
"Some countries that don't have the resources to do that it might take a bit longer."
Meanwhile, social media platforms are starting to do their part in curbing the spread of the anti-vaxx sentiment, with Facebook announcing this week that they would begin banning such content from their platform.
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"We are expanding our efforts to remove false claims on Facebook and Instagram about COVID-19, COVID-19 vaccines and vaccines in general during the pandemic," they explained.
"Today, following consultations with leading health organizations, including the World Health Organization (WHO), we are expanding the list of false claims we will remove to include additional debunked claims about the coronavirus and vaccines."
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