AUBURN, Calif — Thirteen more California counties, including Placer, Tuolumne, and Colusa, are moving to the less-restrictive red tier after health officials announced the state had exceeded its goal of vaccinating 2 million people in the hardest-hit communities. As a result, the state is lowering the case rate threshold for moving into the red tier.
The previous threshold for a county to move into the red tier was no more than 7 new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people per day. The new threshold is no more than 10 new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people per day.
The counties making a move from the purple tier to the red tier include Amador, Colusa, Contra Costa, Los Angeles, Mendocino, Mono, Orange, Placer, San Benito, San Bernardino, Siskiyou, Sonoma, and Tuolumne. It's the first time Los Angeles and Sonoma counties have ever been in the red tier since the start of the pandemic.
Many of the counties now allowed in the red tier would not have been able to make the jump if it were not for the new case rate thresholds.
The new tiers and eased restrictions go into effect on Sunday, Mar. 14.
“California is doubling down on its mission to keep equity a top priority as we continue to get COVID-19 doses into the arms of all Californians as safely and quickly as possible,” Secretary of California’s Health and Human Services Agency Dr. Mark Ghaly said.
Health officials say they expect 13 additional counties to make the jump from the purple to the red tier next Tuesday, Mar. 16, including Sacramento, San Joaquin, and Yuba counties, based on current projections.
On Mar. 4, Gov. Gavin Newsom and state health officials announced the plan to set aside 40% of all vaccine doses for the state's most vulnerable neighborhoods.
The first benchmark of the so-called “healthy places index” was 2 million vaccinations. Now having exceeded that, the next goal is to hit 4 million vaccinations before the next tier update. The state said it will ease thresholds for the yellow and orange tiers when the 4 million mark is reached.
