Counties held to task for infection rates in poor areas

If huge disparities, there will be delayed reopenings

California is taking its biggest step so far to grapple with racial and socioeconomic disparities in the affect of the coronavirus, declaring that counties with high infection rates in disadvantaged neighborhoods must reopen their economies slower than their peers.

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office has long acknowledged that COVID-19 infections and deaths have taken an uneven toll on poorer areas, often overlapping with communities of color and essential workers. But the state thus far has stopped short of pressing counties to address the problem.

Now the state’s “equity metric” unveiled last week will attempt to hold counties at least partially accountable for high infection rates in poorer areas where many Latinx, Black and Pacific Islander Californians live.

Starting Tuesday, counties with big disparities in test positivity rates among neighborhoods may not be allowed to progress within the reopening system — and must promise to direct more resources toward testing and contact tracing in coronavirus hotspots.

In Yolo County, as of Sunday night, there were 2,879 people infected, which was 14 more than on Saturday. There have also been 56 deaths, which has been unchanged for several days. Woodland is reporting 1,217 cases as of Sunday evening, which was only 5 more cases than reported on Saturday. There have also been 30 people in Woodland who have died as a result of the virus.

Countywide, the positivity rate is now at 3.53%, which is good enough to keep the county in the “red zone,” which has allowed many businesses to partially reopen.

“Our entire state has come together to redouble our efforts to reduce the devastating toll COVID-19 has had on our Latino, Black and Pacific Islander communities,” Dr. Erica Pan, the state’s acting public health officer, said in a statement. “This isn’t just a matter of higher cases in these communities — it is an issue of life and death that is hurting all Californians.”

Counties with more than 106,000 people will be divided into quartiles based on the California Healthy Places Index, which considers factors like poverty, education level and health care access.

The test positivity rate within the lowest quartile must fall within a certain range of the county’s overall rate for the county to advance to the next tier, opening additional businesses and activities; otherwise, the county must submit a plan explaining how it plans to increase testing, case investigation and quarantine resources in those areas.

Smaller counties — which account for less than 3% of the state’s population — are exempt from the metric, but likewise must provide equity plans for their vulnerable populations, the state said.

California’s poorer cities and communities of color have largely borne the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although Latinx residents make up less than 40% of the population, they account for more than 60% of coronavirus cases and nearly 50% of deaths. Black people and Pacific Islanders have likewise died at higher rates relative to their population size.