Good Morning, Colorado, you’re listening to the Daily Sun-Up. It’s Thursday January 14th, and even though there’s a lot of turmoil right now we’re feeling lucky to start the day with you.

Today - the complicated path to reaching herd immunity from coronavirus.

But before we begin, let’s go back in time with some Colorado history adapted from historian Derek R Everett’s book “Colorado Day by Day”:

Today, we’re going back to January 14th, 1868 when Colorado’s first railroad received it’s third name in three years. But this name stuck for the next two decades - the Colorado Central Railroad. It was chartered in 1865 to connect Golden and Denver to gold mining districts.

Now, our feature story.

On Wednesday, Colorado crossed the 200,000 mark for the number of people who have received at least one dose of coronavirus vaccine. That means more than 3% of the state’s population is now on its way to immunity through inoculation. 

But how much further do we still have to go?

The launch of the vaccination campaign reignites questions about what it means to reach herd immunity. Well, once enough people in a community are immune from a virus, the virus can’t find enough susceptible people to jump into and the local epidemic begins to die out. And at that point we’ve reached herd immunity.

But, there’s a problem with this clean, perfect image of herd immunity. It’s not quite as simple as it seems.

Colorado Sun reporter John Ingold is joining us today to tell us more.

John thank you so much for your time, can you start by explaining how we measure, or calculate herd immunity? And at what point can we expect things to get better?

As John said, there’s not a finish line we can cross and then immediately declare victory. This is a race we’re just going to have to keep running for a while.

The bad news is that COVID-19 is likely here to stay, even after we reach herd immunity. And it’s uncertain how often we’re going to need to keep getting vaccinated in the future.

But the good news is that as vaccines go into arms, herd immunity can now be reached without accepting the massive death toll that would go along with trying to achieve it through infection.

Thanks for listening. Before we go, here are a few stories that you should know about today:

- Tens of thousands of Coloradans were victims of unemployment fraud in 2020. But even after reporting that their identities were stolen, some people are being told they have to pay taxes on the fake claims. 

- The U.S. Space Command will move to Huntsville, Alabama, for its permanent headquarters. The department is currently located in Colorado Springs, and critics say the move is a political response to the 2020 election results.

- A new report from 350 Colorado finds the oil and gas industry is responsible for 70 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in Colorado. Industry officials and state regulators say the calculation is an overestimate.

For more information on all of these stories, visit our website, www.coloradosun.com. And don’t forget to tune in again tomorrow for a special holiday episode. Now, a quick message from our editor.

The Colorado Sun is non-partisan and completely independent. We're always dedicated to telling the in-depth stories we need today more than ever. And The Sun is supported by readers and listeners like you.

Right now, you can head to ColoradoSun.com and become a member. Starting at $5 per month for a basic membership and if you bump it up to $20 per month, you’ll get access to our exclusive politics and outdoors newsletters. Thanks for starting your morning with us and don’t forget to tune in again tomorrow.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Good Morning, Colorado, you&rsquo;re listening to the Daily Sun-Up. It&rsquo;s Thursday January 14th, and even though there&rsquo;s a lot of turmoil right now we&rsquo;re feeling lucky to start the day with you.
Today - the complicated path to reaching herd immunity from coronavirus.
But before we begin, let&rsquo;s go back in time with some Colorado history adapted from historian Derek R Everett&rsquo;s book &ldquo;Colorado Day by Day&rdquo;:
Today, we&rsquo;re going back to January 14th, 1868 when Colorado&rsquo;s first railroad received it&rsquo;s third name in three years. But this name stuck for the next two decades - the Colorado Central Railroad. It was chartered in 1865 to connect Golden and Denver to gold mining districts.
Now, our feature story.
On Wednesday, Colorado crossed the 200,000 mark for the number of people who have received at least one dose of coronavirus vaccine. That means more than 3% of the state&rsquo;s population is now on its way to immunity through inoculation.&nbsp;
But how much further do we still have to go?
The launch of the vaccination campaign reignites questions about what it means to reach herd immunity. Well, once enough people in a community are immune from a virus, the virus can&rsquo;t find enough susceptible people to jump into and the local epidemic begins to die out. And at that point we&rsquo;ve reached herd immunity.
But, there&rsquo;s a problem with this clean, perfect image of herd immunity. It&rsquo;s not quite as simple as it seems.
Colorado Sun reporter John Ingold is joining us today to tell us more.
John thank you so much for your time, can you start by explaining how we measure, or calculate herd immunity? And at what point can we expect things to get better?
As John said, there&rsquo;s not a finish line we can cross and then immediately declare victory. This is a race we&rsquo;re just going to have to keep running for a while.
The bad news is that COVID-19 is likely here to stay, even after we reach herd immunity. And it&rsquo;s uncertain how often we&rsquo;re going to need to keep getting vaccinated in the future.
But the good news is that as vaccines go into arms, herd immunity can now be reached without accepting<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-02948-4"> the massive death toll</a> that would go along with trying to achieve it through infection.
Thanks for listening. Before we go, here are a few stories that you should know about today:
- Tens of thousands of Coloradans were victims of unemployment fraud in 2020. But even after reporting that their identities were stolen, some people are being told they have to pay taxes on the fake claims.&nbsp;
- The U.S. Space Command will move to Huntsville, Alabama, for its permanent headquarters. The department is currently located in Colorado Springs, and critics say the move is a political response to the 2020 election results.
- A new report from 350 Colorado finds the oil and gas industry is responsible for 70 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in Colorado. Industry officials and state regulators say the calculation is an overestimate.
For more information on all of these stories, visit our website,<a href="http://www.coloradosun.com/"> www.coloradosun.com</a>. And don&rsquo;t forget to tune in again tomorrow for a special holiday episode. Now, a quick message from our editor.
The Colorado Sun is non-partisan and completely independent. We're always dedicated to telling the in-depth stories we need today more than ever. And The Sun is supported by readers and listeners like you.
Right now, you can head to ColoradoSun.com and become a member. Starting at $5 per month for a basic membership and if you bump it up to $20 per month, you&rsquo;ll get access to our exclusive politics and outdoors newsletters. Thanks for starting your morning with us and don&rsquo;t forget to tune in again tomorrow.See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.

Welcome to The Colorado Sun's daily podcast, The Daily Sun-Up. Every day we’re sharing an in-depth look at one of our top stories, followed by a quick summary of important things happening in our state. For more visit us at https://coloradosun.com/.

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