Delta variant not yet putting California’s reopening at risk

Could the recent COVID-19 resurgence force California to walk back its month-old reopening?

The answer is no — at least for now.

Despite the startling increases in new coronavirus infections and hospitalizations over the last few weeks, officials are quick to point out that, so far, this uptick is different from what the state endured earlier in the pandemic.

Even with the latest rise, California’s COVID19 metrics remain far below the levels seen during previous surges. And there’s confidence that will remain the case, given how much of the population has already been vaccinated.

The spread, officials say, is overwhelmingly occurring among those who have yet to roll up their sleeves. In L.A. County, 99% of new cases involve those who have not gotten their shots.

“Those that are in the hospitals, those that have died, overwhelmingly are people that have not been vaccinated,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said during a news conference Wednesday. “I cannot impress upon you more the power of getting vaccinated. If we want to extinguish this pandemic, this disease, we’ve got to get vaccinated, period, full stop.”

So the focus, at this point, is less on restricting the movement of vaccinated individuals and more about getting the unvaccinated to get their shots.

Still, given the spread of the highly infectious Delta variant of the coronavirus, and in light of the full reopening of California’s economy on June 15 — which presented a host of new opportunities for residents to gather — some counties are urging even vaccinated people to take steps to protect themselves and others.

Los Angeles and Yolo counties are now recommending that fully vaccinated people wear masks in public indoor settings as a precaution, though the state has not taken a similar step.

Over the past week, California has reported an average of 2,937 new coronavirus cases per day, up 171% from two weeks ago, The Times’ data show.

And since June 29, statewide COVID-19 hospitalizations have risen from 1,089 to 1,648, a 51% jump.

Deaths have not climbed at the same pace, however. Over the last week, an average of 31 Californians died from COVID-19 per day, an increase of about 31% from two weeks ago.

An uptick in infections was not necessarily a surprise, given the recent relaxation of restrictions that had long defined California’s pandemic response — such as capacity restrictions on businesses, the closure or limitation of indoor spaces and requirements for physical distancing and widespread masking.