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Fauci acknowledges 'nudging' herd-immunity estimates

NYT interview: Fauci described raising herd-immunity percentage targets partly based on polling about vaccine willingness, not solely new science.

Primary quotes

Fauci
When polls said only about half of all Americans would take a vaccine, I was saying herd immunity would take 70 to 75 percent. Then, when newer surveys said 60 percent or more would take it, I thought, 'I can nudge this up a bit,' so I went to 80, 85.

Linked sources

How Much Herd Immunity Is Enough? (Donald G. McNeil Jr., New York Times)
Tier 3 · news · Dec 24 2020 interview with the 'nudge this up a bit' passage; Wayback copy (nytimes.com paywalled)
Why Did Fauci Move the Herd Immunity Goal Posts? (MedPage Today op-ed)
Tier 4 · other · Opinion commentary quoting the NYT passage; labeled opinion

Related contentions

Public-health policy

Policy history documented; scientific consensus evolved; political dispute remains.