COVID: San Francisco May Be First Major U.S. City To Reach Herd Immunity
SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX 5) -- San Francisco may be one of the first major cities to reach herd immunity according to health experts. That's when a large portion of the community becomes immune to a disease and spread is unlikely.
The latest numbers show nearly 80% of city residents who are eligible to get a shot have received at least one dose.
There's enough supply to get that number even higher, as those who are unvaccinated, are feeling even more pressure to finally get the shot.
According to the San Francisco Department of Health COVID dashboard, the city is seeing only about 12 to 13 new cases a day.
"We are at a stage where there's a tremendous amount of downward pressure on new cases and it is hard to see how there could be a major surge," said UCSF School of Medicine Chair Bob Wachter.
The societal pressure in San Francisco to get vaccinated is all around.
"Like Nike says, 'just do it,'" said San Francisco Resident Casey Markowitz.
At Moscone Center South, the city's central vaccination site, there were no lines Wednesday and no excuses anymore for Katy Gno after she took a weekend trip with her friends.
"I felt bad that they were all vaccinated and that I was not so I thought 'ok just get it,'" said Gno.
Many health experts believe the percentage of vaccinated needed to reach herd immunity has bumped up to 80-to-90 percent, a threshold some believe San Francisco has reached partly because of the high rate of infection during the winter.
"I think we're probably already there because the natural immunity plus the 80 percent will take you over 90 percent if you think about it," said UCSF Infectious Disease Specialist and Professor of Medicine Peter Chin-Hong.
That's a sweet sound for anyone whose life came to a screeching halt but is starting to pick up speed again.
"We all have a small part to play in that. We're all accepting the same risk but we're doing it for the greater good," said San Francisco resident Noel Ruane.
