More than a third of Californians 18 and older have received at least one dose of a vaccine against COVID-19, a significant milestone just weeks before the state makes everyone 16 and older eligible for a shot.
California has administered 16,775,843 vaccine doses so far, 79 percent of the doses delivered to the state, and is averaging 288,010 shots every day, according to the Department of Public Health. Three-quarters of California residents 65 and older have received at least one dose and nearly half are fully vaccinated, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
More than one-third — 36 percent — of residents 16 and older have received at least one vaccine dose and nearly 19 percent are fully vaccinated. Starting on April 1, anyone 50 and older will be eligible for a vaccine shot, which is currently limited to people 65 and older and those at significant risk because of underlying health conditions, living conditions or their work.
Then, on April 15, vaccine eligibility will be expanded to anyone in the state 16 and older in anticipation of an increase in vaccine supply to the state.
At the same time, California is experiencing some of the lowest numbers of patients hospitalized or in intensive care unit beds with COVID-19 in months. As of Thursday, there were 2,372 patients hospitalized with confirmed COVID-19 cases, down 0.3 percent from the previous day and the lowest number since late October.
There are also 576 patients in ICU beds with confirmed cases, down 4.2 percent from the previous day and the lowest number since late March 2020.
New COVID-19 cases have also continued a steady decline after a massive wave that started in November and peaked during the holidays. On Friday, 3,339 new cases were reported by California counties, according to data tracked by this news organization, bringing the state’s seven-day average to 2,554 daily cases. That’s up slightly from the preceding day but still the lowest average since June 1.
There have been 3,631,659 COVID-19 cases in California since the start of the pandemic, although that number doesn’t include cases that went untested.
Los Angeles County, the largest and hardest-hit in the state, reported 784 new cases Friday, followed by San Diego County with 422 cases and Sacramento County with 208. They were followed by Fresno, San Bernardino and Orange counties.
On Friday, California counties reported 241 deaths from the virus, for a seven-day average of 191 fatalities. That’s up slightly from previous days but still the lowest number it’s been since Dec. 15. Since the start of the pandemic, 58,169 people have died of COVID-19 in California.
San Bernardino County reported 65 deaths on Friday, followed by Los Angeles County with 35 and Riverside County with 34. They were followed by Kern, Orange and San Joaquin counties.
In the Bay Area, Santa Clara County reported 86 new cases and no new deaths, for a total of 114,015 cases and 1,934 deaths since the start of the pandemic. Alameda County reported 55 new cases and three deaths for a total of 82,905 cases and 1,395 deaths. Contra Costa County reported 92 cases and four deaths, for a total of 64,961 cases and 748 deaths.
San Mateo County reported 113 cases and three deaths for a total of 40,105 cases and 547 fatalities. And San Francisco reported 41 cases and six deaths, for a total of 34,930 cases and 461 deaths.