State nears vaccine target that would rewrite rules
Providers are close to administering 4 million doses in disadvantaged areas.
California is on the precipice of administering 4 million COVID-19 vaccine doses in its most disadvantaged areas — a hurdle that, when cleared, would trigger a rewrite of the state’s reopening blueprint to make it easier for counties to more widely reopen businesses and public spaces.
State data show that, as of Monday, providers had doled out 3.93 million doses in the targeted communities, which fall within the lowest quartile of a socioeconomic measurement tool called the California Healthy Places Index.
Upon reaching 4 million doses, California will relax one of the metrics necessary for counties to progress into the less-restrictive tiers of its four-rung reopening road map.
As it stands now, counties have to record fewer than 4.0 new coronavirus cases per day per 100,000 people (adjusted based on the number of tests performed) in order to move into the state’s second-least-restrictive tier, orange. When the blueprint is revised, that threshold will be loosened to 6.0.
Entering the most lenient tier, yellow, would necessitate an adjusted daily new case rate of fewer than 2.0 per 100,000 people, compared with the current requirement of 1.0.
The other two data points used to determine tier assignments — the rate of positive test results and a health equity metric intended to ensure that the positive test rate in poorer communities is not significantly higher than a county’s overall figure — would remain unchanged.
Though the imminent revision to California’s reopening road map won’t affect counties that have already moved into the orange and yellow tiers — a club that includes Los Angeles, Orange, Santa Clara and San Francisco — it would make it easier for them to avoid backsliding, should their case rates creep up a bit.
The changes would, however, position some areas to enter the orange tier more rapidly.
Up to this point, counties have needed to record two straight weeks of qualifying data to advance to a less-restrictive tier and have had to remain in a tier for at least three weeks before moving again.
A revision of the blueprint could muddy that timeline.
When the state last month met its initial goal of administering 2 million vaccines in the hardest-hit and most disadvantaged areas, the revised metric that went into effect — which made it easier for counties to exit the state’s most prohibitive tier, purple — was applied retroactively. That meant counties were allowed to move forward if they had two weeks’ worth of qualifying data under the new metric.
In other words, if a county is already within the new range of what would be considered the orange tier, then it could potentially advance to that level as soon as this week, provided its numbers hold steady.
New tier assignments will be announced Tuesday.
As counties advance through the tier framework, they can gradually lessen restrictions. Upon reaching the orange tier, counties can allow bars to reopen outdoors with some modifications, and they are no longer required to serve food.
Amusement parks can reopen at up to 25% capacity, and fan attendance for outdoor sports and performances is allowed at 33% capacity.
Capacity restrictions can be lifted in stores, although social distancing and other safety modifications still apply.
Houses of worship, museums, zoos and aquariums can raise their indoor capacity to 50% from 25%; restaurants and movie theaters can raise indoor capacity to 50% or 200 people from 25% or 100 people (whichever is fewer); and indoor gyms and yoga studios can increase capacity to 25% from 10%.
Bowling alleys can reopen, with modifications, at 25% capacity. Card rooms and satellite wagering sites can also reopen indoors, at 25% capacity.
Offices in nonessential industries can reopen, although the state says workers should be encouraged to work remotely.
For the last month, California has devoted 40% of its COVID-19 vaccine supply to residents in the state’s most disadvantaged areas — a strategy officials said would help address inequities that have persisted throughout the inoculation campaign and would ensure that those most at risk from the coronavirus have access to the shots.