Nearly half of Californians 18 and older have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine shot, an encouraging metric as some experts watch with concern spiking case rates in Michigan, New Jersey and elsewhere in the country.
So far, 46.8 percent of adults in California have received at least one vaccine shot, and 25.5 percent have been fully vaccinated, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Among residents 65 and older, 81.5 percent have received at least one shot, and 57.4 percent are fully vaccinated.
The state has now administered 22 million doses, about 80 percent of those delivered to California, and is averaging 371,510 daily injections, an 11 percent increase from a week ago. On Thursday, California will expand eligibility to anyone 16 and older, although the state is also anticipating a significant decline in new doses from the federal government in the coming week, including an 88 percent decline in doses from the one-and-done Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Meanwhile, case rates have remained steady, with counties reporting 3,545 new cases Friday for a seven-day average of 2,580 daily cases, according to data tracked by this news organization. Los Angeles County, the largest and hardest hit in the state, reported 712 new COVID-19 cases, followed by Sacramento County with 400 and Kern County with 260. They were followed by Santa Clara, San Diego and San Bernardino counties.
Hospitalizations from the deadly virus have also continued to decline in the state. As of Thursday, there were 1,930 patients hospitalized with confirmed cases of COVID-19, a 1.5 percent decline from the preceding day. That is the fewest number of confirmed hospitalized cases since at least April 8, 2020.
