Some California counties that enjoy high vaccination rates are also seeing a high number of new COVID-19 cases, according to data from the California Health and Human Services Agency.
Counties with both high rates of vaccination and virus cases include Los Angeles, San Diego, Alameda, Contra Costa, and San Francisco, Newsmax reported. Other counties, including Modoc, Glenn, Lassen, Del Norte, and San Benito counties, “which have low vaccination rates, also have a low number of COVID-19 cases reported.”
University of California San Francisco infectious disease expert Dr. Phillip Norris told a CBS affiliate that the higher COVID case count in places with high vaccination rates is explainable.
“If there are a lot of people around you’re more likely to bump into one who has COVID,” Norris stated.
“Norris notes that as case rates increase with the Delta variant, more vaccinated and unvaccinated people will get COVID, though data indicates that the rates will likely remain much higher among the unvaccinated,” CBS reported. “That means, for every 100,000 people, 10 vaccinated people would test positive compared to 40 unvaccinated people.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reversed course on Tuesday, recommending that vaccinated people begin wearing masks indoors in parts of the U.S. where the Delta variant of the virus is surging. The CDC also recommended masks for all teachers, staff, students, and visitors at schools nationwide.
President Joe Biden weighed in on the new CDC reversal. “The more we learn about this virus and the delta variation, the more we have to be worried and concerned. And there’s only one thing we know for sure — if those other 100 million people got vaccinated, we’d be in a very different world,” Biden said
Here is Biden’s full statement:
When I ran for President, I promised to be straight with you about COVID—good news or bad. And I promised to follow the science. That strategy has worked: in my first six months in office, we’ve given out over 300 million shots—and have 60% of adults fully vaccinated and nearly 70% started on vaccinations. Cases are down, and deaths are down dramatically. One estimate suggests that our rapid deployment of the vaccine has saved 100,000 American lives—perhaps more.
Today’s announcement by the CDC—that new research and concerns about the Delta variant leads CDC to recommend a return to masking in parts of the country—is another step on our journey to defeating this virus. I hope all Americans who live in the areas covered by the CDC guidance will follow it; I certainly will when I travel to these areas.
Today, the CDC also reaffirmed that we can safely reopen schools this fall—full time. Masking students is inconvenient, I know, but will allow them to learn and be with their classmates with the best available protection.
Most importantly, today’s announcement also makes clear that the most important protection we have against the Delta variant is to get vaccinated. Although most U.S. adults are vaccinated, too many are not. While we have seen an increase in vaccinations in recent days, we still need to do better.
On Thursday, I will lay out the next steps in our effort to get more Americans vaccinated. Vaccinations are free, safe, and effective to every American. They’ve been available to every adult in this country for more than three months—at locations within 5 miles of 90% of the US population.
By following the science, and by doing our part by getting vaccinated, America can beat COVID. In the meantime, more vaccinations and mask wearing in the areas most impacted by the Delta variant will enable us to avoid the kind of lockdowns, shutdowns, school closures, and disruptions we faced in 2020. Unlike 2020, we have both the scientific knowledge and the tools to prevent the spread of this disease. We are not going back to that.