COVID-19 in California: An update

A few updates on COVID-19 from where I am living. First while we see a dramatic decline in COVID-19 infections and deaths, there is a fair amount of regional variation within California. The Sacramento Bee reports that:

The average number of new COVID infections reported each day dropped by an astounding 98% from December to June, according to figures from the California Department of Public Health. And bolstering that trend, nearly 70% of Californians 12 and older are partially or fully vaccinated…but within that broader trend are pronounced regional discrepancies. Counties with relatively low rates of vaccination reported much higher rates of covid infections and deaths in May and June than counties with high vaccination rates…There were about 3.2 COVID-related deaths per 100,000 residents from May 1 to June 18 in counties where first-dose vaccination rates were below 50%. That is almost twice as high as the death rate in counties where more than two-thirds of residents had at least one dose.

Here are some graphics for the counties with the highest and lowest rates of COVID-19 infections.

Highest

Lowest

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While Los Angeles is doing relatively well due to fairly high vaccination rates, the burden of COVID-19 falls disproportionately on some racial groups. The L.A. Times reports:

The coronavirus case rate over a two-week period for Black residents rose 18% between mid-May and mid-June but declined 4% for Latino residents, 6% for white residents and 25% for Asian Americans. And the hospitalization rate for Black residents — who are less likely than other racial and ethnic groups to be vaccinated — grew by 11% while declining for Asian American residents by 12%, Latino residents by 29% and white residents by 37%. According to the most recent data, Black residents in L.A. County are roughly three times as likely as white residents to be diagnosed with the coronavirus, to be newly hospitalized with COVID-19 or to die.

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