The California Department of Public Health announced today that 2 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine have been administered to Californians in some of the state’s most affected communities, increasing immunity where the state’s transmission rates and disease burden have been the most during the pandemic. With this equity metric achieved, and because vaccines slow the spread of serious illnesses, the previously announced update to the Safer Economy Project to take into account progress with vaccine administration comes into effect.
This update reduces the movement limits by the color-coded reopening layers of the states.
These new limits will allow 13 counties to move to a less restrictive level, from Purple (generalized) to Red (substantial): Amador, Colusa, Contra Costa, Los Angeles, Mendocino, Mono, Orange, Placer, San Benito, San Bernardino, Siskiyou , Sonoma and Tuolumne. Twenty-one counties will remain at the Purple Level (generalized), 33 will remain at the Red Level (substantial), three will remain at the Orange Level (moderate) and one will remain at the Yellow Level (minimum). These changes will take effect on Sunday, March 14.
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These regions account for about 15 million of the state’s 40 million inhabitants, a not insignificant sum.
The red layer of the state’s reopening plan allows cinemas, museums, zoos, aquariums and indoor restaurants to reopen to 25% of capacity. Theme parks and live outdoor performances, such as concerts and sporting events, can receive up to 15% of the participants’ capacity.
As of Monday, March 15 at 12:01 pm, additional sectors in LA County may align with changes in the red level with current Public Health measures. pic.twitter.com/Fmdp8SMzDF
– LA Public Health (@lapublichealth) March 12, 2021
Los Angeles County health officials announced on Friday that changes to the local rating will take effect on Monday, instead of the state’s Sunday schedule. See an analysis of which theater chains are reopening here.
On Tuesday, the state expects Sacramento, San Diego and 11 additional counties (Kings, Lake, Monterey, Riverside, San Joaquin, Santa Barbara, Sutter, Tehama, Tulare, Ventura and Yuba) to change from purple to red based on current data and projections. These level adjustments will be attributed on Tuesday and will take effect on Wednesday. If these counties join those announced today in the red layer, it will put 25 million of the state’s 40 million residents in the Red layer.
There is potential for additional counties to move layers next week based on the assessment and assignment of the next week’s Blueprint layer. The figures are compiled and adjusted based on a number of factors determined by the state. From now on, the limit of the purple layer is greater than 10 cases per 100,000 people.
“California is doubling its mission to keep equity a top priority, while we continue to place doses of COVID-19 in the arms of all Californians in the safest and fastest way possible,” said Dr. Mark Ghaly, Secretary of Health and California Human Services Agency. “Focusing on the individuals who were most affected by this pandemic is the right thing to do and it also ensures that we are having the greatest impact on reducing transmission, protecting our health care system and saving lives.”
On March 4, Governor Gavin Newsom announced that the state has reserved 40 percent of the vaccine doses for the most affected communities and has established an equity metric to increase vaccinations in those communities. This recognizes that the pandemic has not affected California’s communities equally. Forty percent of COVID cases and deaths occurred in the lowest quartile of the Healthy Places Index, which provides overall scores and data that predict life expectancy and compares community conditions that shape health across the state.
“Although we have reached a milestone today, we still have a lot of work ahead of us to help ensure that we can end this pandemic,” said Tomás Aragón, CDPH Director and State Public Health Officer. “We should all do our part by getting vaccinated as soon as it is our turn and continue to wear masks and practice physical distance to keep our communities safe.”