Trump Says It's 'Terrific' 15% Of US Population Has Contracted COVID-19

President Donald Trump on Tuesday spoke about the rising number of coronavirus cases across the U.S, touting the surge as a "terrific" development.

Trump's apparently upbeat message came during a White House vaccine summit held to spotlight the progress that's been made in developing the COVID-19 vaccine, Business Insider reported.

"The vaccine was our goal. That was number one because that was the way it ends, plus you do have an immunity, you develop immunity over a period of time," Trump said. "And I hear we're close to 15%. I'm hearing that, and that's terrific, that's a very powerful vaccine in itself."

The 15% figure refers to data released in September by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The researchers found that at least 16% of the nation's population tested positive for coronavirus through September.

The president appeared to be referencing the concept of "herd immunity," which could potentially stop the spread of the virus if enough of the population develops immunity. However, infectious disease experts say at least 70% of the U.S. population would need to be infected to achieve herd immunity.

Herd immunity was discredited as a means of stopping the spread of the coronavirus after a study by the Imperial College London found that the virus' antibodies declined over time.

In a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine on Nov. 24, the CDC estimated that fewer than 1% to 23% of people in the country had coronavirus antibodies, The Wall Street Journalreported.

In Sweden, attempts to reach herd immunity has failed. The country is now experiencing surges in coronavirus cases, with infections at 99% of the peak. Sweden also sees a coronavirus fatality rate of 2.6% —higher than that of the United States, which is at 2.0%, Reuters reported.

Sweden, as a country, has had 66.76 coronavirus deaths per 100,000 people, while the U.S. has had 82.72 coronavirus deaths per the same number of people. The U.S. has recorded 288,716 COVID-19 deaths since the pandemic began in March, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

The number of COVID-19 cases has continued to surge across America, passing the 15 million mark on Tuesday. Health officials are reporting an average of 205,661 new coronavirus cases and 2,259 deaths each day.