California to speed county reopening as COVID vaccinations increase

As more Californians get vaccinated, the state will make it easier for counties to reopen, Newsom administration officials announced Wednesday evening.

Once 2 million coronavirus vaccines have been given to people in the state’s most disadvantaged ZIP codes, the California Department of Public Health will lower the threshold for counties to move from the most restrictive purple tier into the less restrictive red tier.

Counties will be able to have 10 new cases per day per 100,000 residents, instead of the current 7 new cases per day. The test positivity threshold for the red tier — 8% — won’t change.

The new guidelines define the state’s most disadvantaged ZIP codes as those falling in the bottom quartile of the “Healthy Places Index,” a measure of poverty and other factors including residents’ housing status and education level.

To help get vaccines into those neighborhoods, the state will target 40% of doses to residents in those areas, said administration officials who briefed reporters on background about the changes. Those areas have seen about 40% of the state’s COVID-19 cases, the officials said.

They expect the state to reach the 2 million vaccination threshold in the next one or two weeks. Right now, the statewide case rate is about 10.2 new cases per 100,000 residents.

The move will be significant for the state’s economy because the color-coded tier system determines what types of businesses can be open and what restrictions they must follow.

It also determines school reopenings. Under a new school reopening plan that Gov. Gavin Newsom and lawmakers plan to enact this week, schools in the red tier will be required to open for elementary grades at at least one middle or high school grade by April 1 in order to receive their full share of state incentive funding.

When the state gives 4 million shots to people in the most disadvantaged ZIP codes, the state will also change its thresholds for the orange and yellow tiers.

So far, California has administered nearly 9.5 million vaccine doses, but a disproportionate share have gone to people in areas of the state that have higher income and education levels and better access to transportation, among other factors the state is measuring.

That’s partly because the state vaccinated health care workers first, but also because people in wealthier areas have had an easier time navigating complex online appointment systems.

This story was originally published March 3, 2021 at 9:00 PM with the headline "California to speed county reopening as COVID vaccinations increase."