Sir John Bell on Vaccine Sterilization

Professor Sir John Bell, professor of medicine at Oxford University, and a part of the GAVI team: "These vaccines are unlikely to completely sterilize a population. They are very likely to have an effect which works in a percent, say 60 or 70%." Sir John is a member of SAGE (Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies) and sits on the government’s vaccine task force.

The word is "immunized". Even an expert on a govt task force would be expected to capable of using the word 'immunized' if that's what he meant. Sterilization is the process of making something free from bacteria or other living microorganisms. The term microorganisms does not include viruses and prions, which are classified as non-living.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), "immunization is the process whereby a person is made immune or resistant to an infectious disease, typically by the administration of a vaccine. Vaccines stimulate the body’s own immune system to protect the person against subsequent infection or disease." A person becomes immune to a disease when the body has been exposed to it either through illness or vaccination. The immune system develops antibodies to the disease so that it cannot make you sick again.