Amid progress, virus confusion continues on

If you think you’re confused over just what the latest directives are on the pandemic, join the crowd.

Start with the conflicting information on vaccines – both the availability and the priorities.

With 58 counties and three cities in the state managing their vaccine rollout, the situation for Californians trying to find out when or if they can get a vaccine has been chaotic. The lack of adequate supply from the federal government now is causing widespread confusion for people 65 and over. Although the state has said that anyone 65 and older can be vaccinated, counties have been setting their own eligibility requirements depending on how much vaccine they have.

Last week, in the face of increasing criticism and as California’s vaccination rate lags behind almost every other state, a statewide website was launched with little fanfare, to help residents discover when they are eligible to receive the vaccine and to schedule appointments.

The site is called MyTurn (myturn.ca.gov). The goal is to allow Californians to register to be notified in a number of counties when it’s their turn for the vaccine. But as of Monday, the home page still bore the disclaimer “pilot site” and could only be used to schedule appointments for health care workers and individuals 65 and older in Los Angeles and San Diego counties.

The site also says, “Online appointment scheduling for other groups and residents of other counties will be available soon.”

Monterey County public health is still working to vaccinate Phase 1a category individuals, mostly health care workers, before moving on to Phase 1b, which includes individuals 65 and over. Santa Cruz County, meanwhile, has opened a drive-through vaccination clinic at the fairgrounds in Watsonville, vaccinating those 75 or older and health care workers.

Then there’s the stay-athome orders.

With COVID-19 hospitalizations dropping throughout California, Gov. Gavin Newsom Monday lifted the regional stay-at-home order that had placed most people in the state under tight restrictions since Dec. 4.

But, don’t think that everything is suddenly back to normal. Lifting the strict stay-athome order just means we’re back in the color-coded tier system. Monterey County, which as of Monday had recorded 259 deaths attributed to COVID-19 among 37,285 known case of the virus, will remain with almost all other counties in the state in the “purple tier.” Counties with more than seven daily new cases per 100,000 residents or higher than 8% positivity rate are in the purple tier, which allows some modest relaxation of restrictions for a few businesses such as hair and nail salons, and allows houses of worship, restaurants and gyms to allow outdoor operations and attendance. Bars, breweries and theme parks remain closed.

But even with these various levels of restrictions, confusion and a lack of compliance seem to reign. Here’s an example. Over the holidays and during the spate of balmy weather that arrived midJanuary, crowds from outside the region flocked to local beaches and hiking trails. This in turn provoked angry responses from many local people, who saw these visitors, often unmasked and congregating in crowds, capable and culpable of spreading COVID-19. Stay-at-home?

It’s good news that for now infections and hospitalizations seem to be dropping.

But the lack of preparedness and clear communications that started with the federal government and the Centers for Disease Control, then spread to state health authorities, continues to play out in local communities such as ours.