More than 80% of the people eligible to receive the coronavirus vaccine in California have received at least one dose, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Tuesday, a pandemic milestone for the nation’s most populous state amid signs a recent surge in new cases is abating.
Newsom said the news puts California among the top 10 states in vaccination rates, despite having the population of 21 other states combined. Inoculations have steadily increased in recent weeks after Newsom announced state employee s and teachers must either be vaccinated or submit to weekly testing. He’s also requiring all of the state’s roughly 2.2 million health care workers to get vaccinated or risk losing their jobs.
Of all the people tested for the coronavirus in California, about 4.6% test positive for the virus — among the lowest rates in the country. That rate has fallen from 7.1% just a few weeks ago, Newsom said, and is likely a byproduct of more people being vaccinated. While it is possible for vaccinated people to still get the virus, data has shown those cases are rare and mild.
https://apnews.com/article/health-california-coronavirus-pandemic-b01c71ccc340b762a9e0039dfbbfde61