LOS ANGELES – The fastest decline in new cases of coronavirus and hospitalizations in California has put the country’s population in a way of weakening business constraints when the deadliest boom of the pandemic gained momentum.
“The good news: Parts of the state are starting to reopen,” Govin Newsom said on Tuesday, adding that he expects more provinces to reopen next week.
He spoke at the site of a new federally backed mass vaccination site in Los Angeles, which opened Tuesday with a similar site in Oakland. The two sites are expected to receive approximately 6,000 doses of vaccine per day, and are intended to vaccinate people in communities hit hard by the pandemic.
The openings of the mass vaccination sites, announced by a number of government officials and federal officials, came as California’s virus numbers continued to improve, even though the demand for vaccine capacity is much greater.
About 3.5% of people tested for coronavirus get positive results, Newsom said, a rate that has fallen sharply in recent weeks. The number of people in hospitals and intensive care units and cases of decline is declining – all determining when provinces can start reopening further.
California last summer created a four-tier reopening system that controls how businesses and schools should function and sets guidelines for personal gatherings. In the next week, a “significant” number of provinces are likely to enter the “red” level, allowing for indoor dining with a capacity of 25%, and the opening of other indoor spaces such as cinemas, museums and gyms with restrictions, Newsom said. said. .
Half a dozen rural provinces in Northern California and along the Sierra Nevada mountain range are already in the red or orange level. Data from the state indicate that at least five small provinces are moving to the red level.
The more populous provinces will take longer.
Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said if positive trends continue, the country could move out of the purple level and into the red color “by the time we get to spring.”
Meanwhile, California received about 1.08 million vaccine doses from the federal government this week, the governor said. The state expects 1.28 million doses next week and 1.31 million doses thereafter. The slow increase in the number of doses continues to disappoint local and government officials.
LA County now has the capacity to deliver 600,000 vaccine doses per day, if there were just enough shots. “The biggest problem before us all is that we need more inventory,” Ferrer said.
Under a new vaccine distribution contract with insurer Blue Shield, the state has set a goal of administering 3 million doses per week, according to contract details released Monday.
But over the past few days, mass vaccination facilities such as Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles and the Moscone Conference Center in San Francisco have been temporarily closed due to lack of supply. Newsom said the state’s goal is to build enough capacity so the state can vaccinate people quickly if more doses come.
“We are building the infrastructure where the only constraint is supply,” Newsom said. “But if the supply is generous, we can move aggressively and quickly.”
The mass vaccine sites opened on Tuesday in conjunction with the federal government will not come from the same state supply, Newsom said.
The sites were opened on the east side of the country’s second largest city at California State University, Los Angeles, and on the east side of the San Francisco Bay Area in Oakland Coliseum. In Cal State LA, groups of cars pull up to tents manned by military personnel. People could arrive on foot or by public transport.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency hopes to open similar sites in Texas and New York, said Bob Fenton, FEMA regional administrator in California. When opening the sites, the government focuses on areas where minorities make up more than 40% of the population, poverty rates and lack of housing or access to vehicles. The sites will also operate mobile clinics that can reach out to people who have not been transported.
“We look at areas with a high population among the states, but also make sure data leads us to the most socially vulnerable people,” Fenton said.
Also on Tuesday, Republican members of California’s congressional delegation Newsom wrote a letter demanding more transparency around the state’s vaccination. They highlighted recent complaints from local health officials about state data issues and the ever-changing directions of the state as to who is eligible for shots.
“We are writing to express our serious concern about the slow, opaque decision-making process of the State of California and the ever-changing approach to the distribution of COVID vaccines, which are healthcare providers through our constituents, local public health and confusion officials , ”Reads the letter.
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Ronayne reports from journalists John Antczak and Christopher Weber of Sacramento and Associated Press in Los Angeles.
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Californians can find out if they are eligible for the vaccine at https://myturn.ca.gov/ or call 1-833-422-4255.