San Luis Obispo County Public Health Officer Penny Borenstein looked pained at a May 5 press briefing when a reporter asked for an update on the county's progress toward COVID-19 herd immunity, five months into the vaccine rollout.
"Locally, we are really falling behind," Borenstein said. "The state average at this time is 61 percent of all eligible people, 16 and up, have at least started vaccinations. In our county, we're more like 51 percent. ... We're really not doing a whole lot better than half, and we want to get upward of 80, 85 percent to achieve herd immunity.
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Graphic By Alex Zuniga