Find an updated count of COVID-19 cases in California and by county on our tracker here.
Latest Updates
Sacramento County stays in red tier
Nearly one-third of Californians fully vaccinated
California urges people to vacation in state, boost tourism
Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates launch Sac-Bike-Match
All Nevada counties granted local authority over COVID-19 restrictions
COVID-19 By The Numbers
Wednesday, May 5
11:14 a.m.: Sacramento County stays in red tier
As state officials announced COVID-19 tier changes Tuesday, Sacramento County remained in the state’s red coronavirus risk tier.
Sacramento moved out of the state’s most restrictive purple tier into the red tier on March 16, where it has stayed since.
As of Tuesday, the county had 7.7 new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents, a 2.8% test positivity rate over the past 7 days and a 4% test positivity rate for the state’s health equity quartile. In order to move into the less restrictive orange tier, counties need to have less than 5.9 new cases a day per 100,000 residents, a test positivity rate below 4.9% for the whole county, and a test positivity rate below 5.3% for the health equity quartile.
Yolo and El Dorado counties are currently in the less restrictive orange tier, while Placer County is also in the red tier.
11:02 a.m.: Nearly one-third of Californians fully vaccinated
Nearly a third of Californians have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of May 4, according to NPR’s state vaccine tracker.
In California, 32.1% of all residents have either received one shot of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, or both shots of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine. Additionally, 49.9% of the state’s population has received at least one dose of a vaccine.
Currently, not all Californians are eligible to get the vaccines, as the shots are not approved for people under age 16 yet. But that may change soon, as Pfizer expects the FDA to approve its vaccine for use in children ages 12-15, according to NPR.
According to the California Department of Public Health, 31,027,617 vaccines have been administered in the state.
Tuesday, May 4
6:40 p.m.: California urges people to vacation in state, boost tourism
California tourism leaders are urging residents to spend their pent-up travel dollars exploring their home state as coronavirus case numbers stay low.
The tourism industry is reeling from a steep decline in revenue, plummeting from $145 billion in 2019 to $65 billion last year.
The state of nearly 40 million people has been among the most conservative in the U.S. with strict restrictions in place to curb the pandemic. It's gradually reopening but tourism revenue is not expected to top pre-pandemic levels until 2024.
Tourism officials are calling on Californians to do their patriotic duty and vacation within the state to bolster the industry.
6:34 p.m.: Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates launch Sac-Bike-Match
If you're in the market for a new bike, you may have to wait a while. There's a nationwide shortage because of the pandemic and predominantly shipping out of China and Asia.
The Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates, or SABA, has launched a program called Sac-Bike-Match. They're asking people to donate old bikes. SABA will then match those bikes with essential workers once they've been reconditioned at the Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen repair site in midtown.
"We're in partnership with them and we wrench those bikes, make sure that they're in great working order and then we match them up with somebody else and get them on the road,” said Debra Banks.
May is National Bike Month. It's mostly virtual in Sacramento again this year because of the pandemic, but SABA is hoping to host a few rides in small groups.
6:30 p.m.: All Nevada counties granted local authority over COVID-19 restrictions
All of Nevada's 17 counties have been granted local authority over COVID-19 restrictions.
The latest addition came yesterday when Washoe County commissioners approved a revised plan for the Reno-Sparks area and successfully submitted the necessary endorsements to the state's mitigation task force.
Masks remain mandatory. Control over all other COVID-19 measures began May 1 in all of Nevada's other counties under local plans.
Washoe County's new plan eliminates capacity limits effective June 1, unless there's a big spike in the new cases. In the meantime it allows full capacity in businesses with enough space to still comply with six-feet social-distancing.
9:25 a.m.: Pandemic led to 30% increase in worker deaths in certain California industries
During the first 10 months of the coronavirus pandemic, California saw a 30% increase in the deaths of essential workers in 10 industries, according to a new study by U.C. Merced’s Community and Labor Center.
The U.C. study found that overall deaths among Californians aged 18-65 increased by 25% in 2020. Workers accounted for 87% — or more than 14,000 — of those additional deaths.
Dr. Edward Flores, who helped direct the study, said that the pandemic just exposed previously existing inequalities in the workplace.
“There’s a need for better awareness for the rights that workers have, of their ability to take sick leave, to file a complaint in regards to health and safety conditions,” said Flores.
The most affected groups of workers came from industries such as warehouses, agriculture, restaurants and food services, and grocery stores. Among the 10 industries with the highest death increases were nursing care, landscaping, and building services like janitorial and security work.
9:07 a.m.: FDA could OK Pfizer vaccine for teens by next week
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected to authorize Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for kids ages 12 to 15 by next week, setting up shots for many before the start of the next school year.
According to the Associated Press, the update comes from a federal official and a person familiar with the vaccine approval process.
The FDA action would be followed by a federal vaccine advisory committee meeting to discuss whether to recommend the shot for 12- to 15-year olds. Then the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would act on the committee’s recommendation. Those steps could be completed in a matter of days.
Monday, May 3
3:30 p.m.: Children now account for 22% of new COVID-19 infections in US
The number of children contracting COVID-19 in the U.S. is much lower than the record highs set at the start of the new year, but children now account for more than a fifth of new coronavirus cases, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.
This number is based on states that release their data by age, but still, it’s a statistic that’s surprised many — just one year ago, child COVID-19 cases only made up around 3% of the U.S. total.
Now, children represent 22.4% of the new cases reported in the past week as of this Monday. The cases account for 71,659 out of 319,691 cases. The latest report, drawn from data collected through April 29, illustrates how children’s share of coronavirus infections has grown in recent weeks.
There seems to be several factors why — particularly high vaccination rates among older Americans lowers the number of adults getting sick. But other dynamics are also in play, from new COVID-19 variants to the loosening of restrictions on school activities.
It’s also worth noting that for the vast majority of the pandemic, the age group with the highest case rates has been 18 to 24 year-olds in the U.S.
3:22 p.m.: Las Vegas convention center will transform into drive-thru vaccine clinic
Health officials say they hope to administer more than 1,000 doses a day of coronavirus vaccines to Las Vegas-area residents once the first big drive-thru COVID-19 shot clinic opens Tuesday at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
According to the Associated Press, the Southern Nevada Health District on Monday said the goal is for 60% of the eligible population to receive at least one dose. If they reach that goal, that would meet a goal the Clark County Commission set for fully reopening casinos and businesses without social distancing rules. However, masks would still be required.
To date, the percentage of state residents who have gotten at least one shot is 47%.
3:10 p.m.: UN inks Moderna deal to provide 500 million doses globally
Moderna and vaccine promoter Gavi have announced a deal by which the pharmaceutical company will provide up to 500 million coronavirus vaccines, according to the Associated Press.
The U.N.-backed program will ship the doses to clinics and vaccination centers in low- and middle-income countries by the end of 2022.
The advance purchase agreement comes just days after the World Health Organization announced the emergency approval for the Moderna vaccine that will pave the way for its rollout in the U.N.-backed COVAX program.
However, deliveries of the vaccines are not set to begin until the fourth quarter of this year, and the vast majority of the doses in the deal — 466 million — are planned for only next year.
9:39 a.m.: Las Vegas hitting jackpot as pandemic-weary visitors return
Las Vegas has been jammed lately with pandemic-weary tourists looking for excitement and entertainment.
According to the Associated Press, on Saturday, casino capacity limits on the Strip increased again to 80%, while person-to-person distancing drops to 3 feet. However, masks are still required.
The boom began as casino occupancy went from 35% to 50% on March 15 under state health guidelines. Analysts point to pent-up demand, available rooms and federal coronavirus relief checks.
Economic markers are now ringing up a revival on the neon resort corridor that was ghostly quite a year ago. Casinos have also reported four slot jackpots worth upward of $1 million in the last week.
9:15 a.m.: Public transit tries to woo back riders
As President Joe Biden urges more federal spending on public transportation, transit agencies decimated by COVID-19 are struggling to figure out how to win back passengers.
According to the Associated Press, commuting patterns are changing as work-from-home arrangements show signs of becoming a longer-term trend, and riders are still hesitant to return to potentially crowded spaces on buses and trains.
Biden’s $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan would provide $85 billion over eight years to update and replace subway cars and repair aging tracks and stations. Of that amount, $25 billion would go to expanding bus routes and rail lines. Another $25 billion would pay to convert gasoline- and diesel-powered mass transit buses to zero-emission electric vehicles.
Even with the country slowly opening up again, transportation officials say it could take years to get riders back. Transit agencies are trying different approaches to win over riders, from reduced fares to shiny new bus stops and even shifting transit schedules around to accommodate more passengers due to the pandemic shift away from 9-to-5 work.
9:07 a.m.: US to start global COVID-19 vaccine distribution talks
Two White House officials say the U.S. trade representative will begin talks on COVID-19 vaccine distribution around the world, according to The Associated Press.
The trade representative will begin talks in the world Trade Organization on ways to overcome intellectual property issues that are keeping poorer countries from making their own generic version of critically needed COVID-19 vaccines.
White House chief of staff Ron Klan said trade representative Katherine Tai will be starting talks with the trade organization to get the vaccine more widely distributed, licensed and shared.
Klain and national security advisor Jake Sullivan said the Biden administration will have more to say on the matter in the coming days.
Sunday, May 2
10:40 a.m.: Personal income jumped over 21% in March as the government sent out relief payments
Americans’ personal incomes jumped 21.1% in March, according to the Commerce Department. This is the biggest increase on record as the government sent out $1,400 relief payments as part of the $1.9 trillion coronavirus rescue effort.
Personal spending also jumped by 4.2%, and wealthier Americans are also increasing spending.
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May 06, 2021 at 02:15AM
https://www.capradio.org/articles/2021/05/05/california-coronavirus-updates-may-2021/
California Coronavirus Updates: Sacramento County Stays In Red Tier - Capital Public Radio News
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