Sterilize a population - say 60 or 70 percent

Sterilize a population - say 60 or 70 percent

I would like to draw your attention to the fact that Professor Sir John Bell, professor of medicine at Oxford University, and a part of the GAVI team - Sir John is a member of SAGE (Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies) and sits on the government’s vaccine task force that has negotiated the purchase of a handful of proposed vaccines to combat coronavirus - developing AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine, said in an interview with Jon Snow that "These vaccines are unlikely to completely sterilize a population. They are very likely to have an effect which works in a %, say 60 or 70%." Believe him, someone who has these levels of credentials doesn't misspeak without correcting himself.

Sterilization: 1.The process of making something free from bacteria or other living microorganisms.
Microorganisms can be bacteria, fungi, archaea or protists. The term microorganisms does not include viruses and prions, which are generally classified as non-living.