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State Issues Recommendations to Local Health Departments and Providers to Accelerate Safe Vaccine Administration Statewide

Date: January 7, 2021
Number: NR21-008
Contact: CDPHpress@cdph.ca.gov


Doses may go to individuals in lower priority groups when high-priority demand subsides or when doses are about to expire

SACRAMENTO ā€“ Today the state issued vaccine recommendations to local public health departments and providers focused on accelerating the pace of COVID-19 vaccine administration. The recommendations clarify the state's vaccine prioritization process and that after appropriate efforts to reach highest priority groups, health departments and providers may offer doses to lower priority groups when high-priority demand subsides, or when doses are about to expire.

"California's health care providers have done incredible work thus far in vaccinating hundreds of thousands of Californians," said Governor Gavin Newsom. "On behalf of our state, I thank our hospitals, doctors, nurses, and others for joining us in this all-hands-on-deck commitment to safely and quickly Vaccinate All 58. When Californians join together, our spirit of resiliency and innovation always wins. By continuing to take the precautions we need to get through this surge, and by ramping up safe and equitable vaccinations, we can and we will get through this darkest part of the tunnel to the light."

To maximize vaccine administration and reduce the potential for waste, local health departments and providers should immediately administer COVID-19 vaccines to individuals in all tiers of Phase 1a. In addition to frontline health care workers, this includes a wide range of people in health care settings such as community health care workers, public health field staff, primary care clinics, specialty clinics, laboratory workers, dental clinics and pharmacy staff.

Local health departments and providers should make special efforts to administer vaccine to vaccinators and consider partnering with others to provide vaccinations for individuals in prioritized tiers. They may also allocate doses on the assumption that immunization will be accepted by some but not all who are offered the vaccine, and then continue to offer vaccinations in progressive priority tiers. For example, if a county has maximized use of the vaccine to administer individuals in Phase 1a, they should move to Tier 1 of Phase 1b while continuing to offer vaccines to those in higher priority groups.

Today's COVID-19 Data

CDPH announced the most recent statistics on COVID-19, including data on intensive care unit (ICU) capacity across the state. Based on ICU data, four regions, San Joaquin Valley, Southern California, Greater Sacramento and the Bay Area continue under the Regional Stay at Home Order. Once a region's four-week ICU projection shows a capacity of greater than or equal to 15%, the order will be lifted for that area.

Current Available ICU Capacity by Region

  • Bay Area: 3.5%
  • Greater Sacramento: 9.2%
  • Northern California: 25.4%
  • San Joaquin Valley: 0.0%
  • Southern California: 0.0%

Current Status of Regional Stay at Home Order in Affected Regions

  • San Joaquin Valley: Remains under order; four-week ICU capacity projections do not meet criteria to exit order.
  • Southern California: Remains under order; four-week ICU capacity projections do not meet criteria to exit order.
  • Greater Sacramento: Remains under order; four-week ICU capacity projections do not meet criteria to exit order.
  • Bay Area: Will remain under the order until at least January 8 with potential to extend depending on four-week ICU capacity projections. The region's ICUD projections will be announced on Saturday, January 9, based on January 8 data.

ICU capacity projections for regions that are eligible to exit the order are calculated daily based on four factors: current estimated regional ICU capacity available, measure of current community transmission, current regional case rates and the proportion of ICU cases being admitted. Decreasing community transmission and increasing the health system capacity can help a region's projected ICU capacity so they can exit the order.

Read the full Regional Stay Home Order, Supplement to the Order, and frequently asked questions.

Due to high rates of COVID-19 hospitalizations impacting the health care system, California is also under a Limited Stay at Home Order. The order applies to all counties that are currently under the Regional Stay at Home Order and those in Tier One (Purple) of the Blueprint for a Safer Economy. The Limited Stay at Home Order will expire after the Regional Stay At Home Order has been terminated in all regions of the state.

Statewide COVID-19 Data as of Today

  • California has 2,518,611 confirmed cases to date. Numbers may not represent true day-over-day change as reporting of test results can be delayed.
  • There were 36,385 newly recorded confirmed cases Wednesday.
  • The 7-day positivity rate is 14.3% and the 14-day positivity rate is 12.9%.
  • There have been 34,760,355 tests conducted in California. This represents an increase of 211,734 during the prior 24-hour reporting period.
  • As case numbers continue to rise in California, the total number of individuals who will have serious outcomes will also increase. There have been 28,045 COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic.
  • As of January 7, a total of 586,379 vaccine doses have been administered statewide. As of January 7, a total of 2,052,025 vaccine doses, which includes the first and second dose, have been shipped to local health departments and health care systems that have facilities in multiple counties.

California COVID-19 by the Numbers

Tracking COVID-19 in California

State Dashboard ā€“ Daily COVID-19 data
County Map ā€“ Local data, including tier status and ICU capacity
Data and Tools ā€“ Models and dashboards for researchers, scientists and the public
Blueprint for a Safer Economy ā€“ Data for establishing tier status

ADDITIONAL DATA & UPDATES

Updated Travel Advisory

CDPH has issued an updated travel advisory. Except in connection with essential travel, Californians should avoid non-essential travel to any part of California more than 120 miles from one's place of residence, or to other states or countries. Avoiding travel reduces the risk of virus transmission, including by reducing the risk that new sources of infection and, potentially, new virus strains will be introduced to California. Postponing travel and staying home is the best way to protect yourself and others from COVID-19. Non-essential travelers from other states or countries are strongly discouraged from entering California and should adhere to the state's self-quarantine procedures for 10 days.

Safe Schools for All Plan

Governor Newsom released his Californiaā€™s Safe Schools for All plan, Californiaā€™s framework to support schools to continue operating safely in person and to expand the number of schools safely resuming in-person instruction.

Vaccinate All 58

The COVID-19 vaccination is one of the most important tools to end the pandemic. California will distribute a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine in a fair way to everyone who wants it in all 58 counties. Visit the Vaccinate All 58 webpage. More information about the vaccine phases and tiers visit the COVID19.CA.GOV Vaccines web page. 

Health Care Workers

As of January 6, local health departments have reported 73,078 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 275 deaths statewide.

Health Equity

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted existing inequities in health that are the result of structural racism and poverty, and the disproportionate prevalence of underlying conditions such as asthma and heart disease among Latinos and African Americans. California is committed to understanding these inequities to help ensure the best health outcomes for all Californians. View COVID-19 Race & Ethnicity Data and Cases and Deaths by Age Group. Visit the new Health Equity Dashboard.

Testing Turnaround Time

The testing turnaround time dashboard reports how long California patients are waiting for COVID-19 test results. During the week of December 13 to December 19, the average time patients waited for test results was 1.6 days. During this same time period, 51% of patients received test results in one day and 81% received them within two days.

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)

As of January 4, 161 cases of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) have been reported statewide. MIS-C is a rare inflammatory condition associated with COVID-19 that can damage multiple organ systems. MIS-C can require hospitalization and be life threatening.

Your Actions Save Lives

Protect yourself, family, friends and your community by following these prevention measures:

  • If you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 (fever, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, muscle or body aches), call your health care provider.
  • If you believe you have been exposed, get tested. Free, confidential testing is available statewide.
  • Stay home except for essential activities and follow local public health guidance.
  • Keep interactions to people who live in your household.
  • Wear a cloth face mask when out in public.
  • Avoid non-essential travel and stay close to home; self-quarantine for 10 days after arrival if you leave the state.
  • Wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
  • Avoid close contact with people who are sick and stay home from work, school or other people if you feel ill.
  • Add your phone to the fight by signing up for COVID-19 exposure notifications from CA Notify.
  • Answer the call if a contact tracer from the CA COVID Team or local health department tries to connect.
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