OC herd immunity might not be hit before June reopening, officials fear misinformation might hamper progress

“Ultimately what’s going to serve us best in the long run is widespread vaccination,“ said UC Irvine [associate professor], epidemiologist and public health expert, Andrew Noymer ….

Bernadette Boden-Albala, founding dean of UCI’s public health program, said she’s not sure if the county will hit herd immunity in time for the statewide reopening. …

UCI epidemiologist and public health expert Sanghyuk Shin, [assistant professor, school of nursing], said herd immunity is tricky because the virus can still spread to the people who aren’t vaccinated. …

Shin’s colleague, [assistant professor], epidemiologist Daniel Parker also said herd immunity is a difficult concept. …

Suellen Hopfer, an assistant professor in UCI’s department of population health and disease prevention, said it’s extremely difficult to counteract misinformation.