On Politics: In search of herd immunity: Public officials try to get Hawaii residents to vaccination sites

The definition is less than a precise measurement on which to base an entire state policy, but Hawaii’s economic future and health outcomes are all built on reaching community, or herd, ­immunity.

The state health department and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention both define herd immunity as “a situation where most of the population is immune to an infectious disease, either from previous infection or vaccination. This provides indirect protection… (for) people who are not immune to the disease because it makes it harder for the disease to spread.”

In an interview last week, physician and Lt. Gov. Josh Green said Hawaii is counting on reaching herd immunity this summer.

“A large part of the policy discussion, whether it is allowing vaccinated travelers to travel to Hawaii based on a percentage of our people being vaccinated or mask- wearing rules, is heavily impacted by us reaching herd immunity,” Green said in response to an emailed question.

“We will likely reach 60% of our citizens being fully vaccinated in early June and 70% in early July. These are critical milestones for our state.”

Indeed, reaching this status is critical.

In April, Gov. David Ige said he was still looking for signals of herd immunity: “Until we reach herd immunity, we need to maintain our vigilance and patience by continuing to wear masks, socially distance, and wash our hands.”

The simple fact is, the more people who are vaccinated, the more we all are protected.

Also, Hawaii could approach herd immunity from COVID-19 by early July if the rate of vaccinations remains consistent, economists with the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization predict.

When asked about the report, the health department told the Hawaii Tribune-­Herald that it could not offer a time when herd immunity would be reached.

“No one knows exactly what percentage of the population must be vaccinated to reach herd immunity,” said DOH spokesman Brooks Baehr in an email. “As more contagious variants spread, we likely need more people vaccinated than first anticipated.”

UH economists warn that battling the virus is crucial to the state.

“Attaining widespread vaccination is an important step toward solidifying our nascent recovery and preventing economic backsliding,” UHERO said. “Herd immunity will not immediately return us to the pre-pandemic state of affairs, but the sooner we can get the COVID-19 pandemic under control, the more certain economic growth prospects.”

A University of Hawaii at Manoa Public Policy Center report noted that only 44% had planned to get a vaccine, according to a survey taken six months ago.

But the latest state figures show that 55% had at least one dose of the vaccine, with 47% having completed all their needed vaccinations.

The Internet consumer research site WalletHub rates Hawaii as the safest state based on COVID-19 transmission, positive testing, hospitalizations and death, as well as the share of the eligible population getting vaccinated.

So if for some reason you haven’t been able to understand the importance of getting vaccinated, it’s time to find the herd and join the roundup.

Richard Borreca writes on politics on Sundays. Reach him at 808onpolitics@gmail.com.