At the peak of the pandemic, 17% of people in California tested for COVID-19 were infected. For about a month now, it\u2019s been under 1%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As of Friday, 54.6% of eligible Californians \u2014 everyone 12 and older \u2014 have been fully vaccinated. Another 11% have received one dose.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Last week, California recorded between 792 to 1,136 new infections every day. That\u2019s comparable to the early days of the pandemic last spring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hospitalizations also have been on a downward trend for several months. As of Friday, 1,263 people statewide were hospitalized with COVID-19 and another 261 were in intensive care. During the mid-January peak, more than 22,000 infected people were hospitalized and more than 4,800 were in ICUs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s a new record low: Hospitalizations are now less than half what they were in mid-October, when around 3,000 infected people were hospitalized, according to the 14-day average.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At one point in the winter, nearly two dozen counties had fewer than 10 available ICU beds. In many cases, hospitals had to turn away patients or transfer them to hospitals hundreds of miles away. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The tragedies, however, remain. Fifty-five more people were added Friday to California\u2019s pandemic death toll, which now includes 62,593 people. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In the past few weeks, California has recorded among the lowest numbers in daily COVID-19 deaths, with numbers similar to April 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n About two-thirds of eligible residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine. And as the governor likes to remind us, California has administered almost 16 million more doses than the next most populous state, Texas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n State health officials don\u2019t set a vaccination goal for herd or community immunity, since children under 12 \u2014 15% of the population \u2014 cannot yet be vaccinated and previously infected people may already be protected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But experts say that 70% to 85% of the total population must be fully vaccinated to reach large-scale protection against the virus. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The state tracks vaccination progress for those eligible by county. As of last week, Marin County led with 75% vaccinated among its 12 and older population. Lassen County ranked last with 22%. The top six counties with the highest percentage of vaccinated populations are in the Bay Area. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Experts say another wave of infections is possible. But they add that it probably won\u2019t be as severe as the past surges, when labs were overwhelmed with tests and hospitals exceeded their capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLet\u2019s not forget that this is an ongoing pandemic,\u201d said Andrew Noymer, epidemiologist at University of California, Irvine. For example, \u201cin Orange County, Latino males are lagging in vaccination, so that is a group that is still at risk,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Come fall or winter, it is likely the state will see another wave of infections, he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Dr. Mark Ghaly, the state\u2019s health and human services secretary, said he expects to see outbreaks, especially in counties with lower vaccination rates. \u201cIt\u2019s at those moments of an outbreak that we need to be ready to vaccinate additional people,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That also means smaller, rural counties may still run the risk of overflowing their hospital systems if they experience an outbreak. \u201cWe know capacity is least in rural counties, and those counties also have lower vaccination rates,\u201d Bibbins-Domingo said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n About 56.5% of Black residents and 55% of Latinos have not been immunized, compared to 38% of white residents and 15.5% of Asian Americans, according to the state\u2019s vaccination breakdown. <\/p>\n\n\n\n That means the groups that were harmed the most by the virus are still facing the most risk. Mistrust in the health system and vaccine hesitancy are barriers, but experts say access issues, like the inability to take time off work and lack of transportation are likely the bigger issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dr. Efrain Talamantes, chief operating officer at AltaMed in East Los Angeles, has found that some patients are not necessarily against getting immunized, but just need a little more time or information to make up their mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Among Latinos, there is usually a community effect, he said. When one family member gets vaccinated, others tend to follow. But it works both ways. \u201cThey say, \u2018well my comadre hasn\u2019t gotten vaccinated, so I\u2019m not sure I want to,\u2019\u201d Talamantes said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A significant portion of California\u2019s seniors \u2014 about 1.5 million of them \u2014 have not yet been vaccinated, despite being among the most vulnerable to the virus. Seniors make up almost 16% of the state\u2019s population, but 73% of COVID-related deaths. Still, 22% of them have not been vaccinated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n People 65 and older have been eligible for shots since mid-January, although the first few weeks were riddled with confusion and supply issues. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Many seniors may be facing access issues. If they don\u2019t drive, they likely rely on family members\u2019 schedules. If they are ill or homebound, they might be waiting for public health departments and providers to come to them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eltecolote.org\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Reopening_DSCF9700_web.jpg?resize=600%2C400&quality=89&ssl=1\")
California isn\u2019t close yet to herd immunity<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Outbreaks are still possible <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Blacks and Latinos still at high risk<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Many seniors aren\u2019t vaccinated, and most kids aren\u2019t even eligible <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eltecolote.org\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Reopening_DSCF9690_web.jpg?resize=600%2C400&quality=89&ssl=1\")