Summertime in the United States could return to a pre-Covid-19 normal if 75% to 80% of the U.S. population is vaccinated, Dr. Peter Hotez said Friday.

“We can vaccinate our way out of this epidemic if all the adults and adolescents get vaccinated by summer. We can have an extraordinary quality of life, with going back to concerts and music venues and ball games and bars and restaurants, and clubs, and all the things we like to do, so that’s what we have to work towards,” Hotez said. 

Hotez, co-director of the Center for Vaccine Development at Texas Children’s Hospital, told CNBC’s “The News with Shepard Smith,” that vaccine hesitancy, however, will prevent the U.S. from getting 75% to 80% of the population vaccinated. 

Demand for the Covid-19 vaccine has dropped across states. Louisiana, for example, asked for fewer doses because demand was so low. Polls show that more than 40% of Republicans are not planning to get vaccinated, and Hotez advised that healthcare professionals work to address conservative groups in order to help protect the entire U.S. population.

“About 40% to 45% of Republicans saying they may not take the vaccine or won’t take the vaccine, and when you add up the numbers, that’s about 10% of the adult population,” said Hotez. “That’s where we’ve got to work harder, at reaching conservative groups…. that we have to fix.”