The following is a press release issued by the California Department of Public Health:
Today, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) updated K-12 Schools Guidance to align with the latest science, as reflected by yesterday’s update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). CDPH’s quick response serves to mitigate potential confusion as schools throughout the state actively resume in-person instruction and plan for the summer and fall.
The state’s updated guidance strongly recommends distancing of at least three feet for students in classrooms. The updated guidance also renders all schools eligible to open if case rates are below 25 per 100,000 population. In all tiers, schools that have not yet opened must post their COVID Safety Plan online five days before reopening. In the purple tier, all schools must also submit their COVID Safety Plan to their local health officer and the State Safe Schools team concurrent with the online posting.
Statewide COVID-19 Data as of Today
- California has 3,541,928 confirmed cases to date. Numbers may not represent true day-over-day change as reporting of test results can be delayed.
- There were 3,107 newly recorded confirmed cases Friday.
- The 7-day positivity rate is 1.9%.
- There have been 52,047,615 tests conducted in California. This represents an increase of 211,492 during the prior 24-hour reporting period.
- There have been 56,072 COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic.
- As of March 20, providers have reported administering a total of 14,180,095 vaccine doses statewide. The CDC reports that 18,234,500 doses have been delivered to entities within the state. Numbers do not represent true day-to-day change as reporting may be delayed. For more vaccination data, visit the COVID-19 Vaccine Data Dashboard.
Tracking Variants
Multiple variants of the virus that causes COVID-19 have been identified globally during the COVID-19 pandemic. These genetic mutations are expected, and some emerge and then disappear, while others persist or become common. Most variants do not have a meaningful impact. Public health becomes concerned about a variant when it affects COVID-19 transmission, severity, testing, treatment or vaccine effectiveness. Get more information on the variants CDPH is currently monitoring.
Blueprint for a Safer Economy
With the Regional Stay at Home Order rescinded statewide as of January 25, all counties are now under the rules and framework of the Blueprint for a Safer Economy and color-coded tiers that indicate which activities and businesses are open based on local case rates and test positivity. CDPH modified Blueprint thresholds on March 12 after the state successfully met its first vaccine equity milestone of 2 million administered vaccine doses in some of the state’s hardest hit communities.
Blueprint Summary (as of March 16)
- 11 counties in the Purple (widespread) Tier
- 42 counties in the Red (substantial) Tier
- 4 counties in Orange (moderate) Tier
- 1 county in Yellow (minimal) Tier
Blueprint tiers are updated weekly on Tuesdays. Find the status of activities in specific counties.
ADDITIONAL DATA & UPDATES
Tracking COVID-19 in California
State Dashboard – Daily COVID-19 data
County Map – Local data, including tier status and ICU capacity
Data and Tools – Models and dashboards for researchers, scientists and the public
Blueprint for a Safer Economy – Data for establishing tier status
COVID-19 Race & Ethnicity Data – Weekly updated Race & Ethnicity data
Cases and Deaths by Age Group – Weekly updated Deaths by Age Group data
Health Equity Dashboard – See how COVID-19 highlights existing inequities in health
Vaccinate All 58
In order to increase the pace of COVID-19 vaccine distribution to those at greatest risk, the state is prioritizing individuals 65 and older to receive the vaccine as demand subsides among health care workers. This effort will help to reduce hospitalizations and safe lives. To sign up for a notification when you’re eligible for a vaccine, please visit myturn.ca.gov. For more information on the vaccine effort, visit the Vaccinate All 58 webpage.
Safe Schools for All
Governor Gavin Newsom launched the Safe Schools for All Hub as a one-stop shop for information about safe in-person instruction. The state has updated its schools reopening maps to include outbreak data by school district. View the data for public schools by selecting a specific district on the School Districts Reopening Map. The map includes reported outbreaks since January 1, 2021.
Travel Advisory
CDPH has issued a travel advisory in place. 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 10 day self-quarantine guidance.
Health Care Workers
As of March 19, local health departments have reported 100,474 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 436 deaths statewide.
Testing Turnaround Time
The testing turnaround time dashboard reports how long California patients are waiting for COVID-19 test results. During the week of March 7 to March 13, the average time patients waited for test results was one day. During this same time period, 81% of patients received test results in one day and 95% received them within two days
Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)
As of March 15, there have been 380 cases of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) 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.
- Get vaccinated when it’s your turn.
- Limit interactions to people who live in your household and follow state and local public health guidance.
- Wear a mask and get the most out of masking – an effective mask has both good fit and good filtration.
- 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 and 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 or text if a contact tracer from the CA COVID Team or your local health department tries to connect.
