California continues to help set the pace for U.S. COVID-19 recovery, now ranked by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as one of just two states at the lowest level of coronavirus community transmission.
In fact, according to the CDC’s four-level color-coded system, California’s transmission metrics were the lowest out of all 50 states as of Saturday.
The CDC determines the level of community transmission based on the number of cases in the last seven days per population of 100,000, and the number of tests in the last seven days that yield a positive result.
The agency’s color-coded system has four levels: Low (blue), moderate (yellow), substantial (orange) and high (red). Nationwide, the level of transmission is moderate with a case rate of 28.2 per 100,000 and a 2.25% positive test rate.
Data collected by the federal agency showed California had 7.8 cases per 100,000 people in the previous seven days, and a seven-day positive test rate of lower than 3%.
The other state joining California in the blue transmission tier was Vermont, with 9.9 total new cases per 100,000 in the past seven days, and a seven-day positive test rate of less than 3%.
According to data collected by the New York Times, as of Sunday Vermont had the highest vaccination rate of the 50 states with 77% of eligible residents having received at least one dose, and 57% fully vaccinated. Once 80% of eligible residents receive at least once vaccine dose, Gov. Phil Scott said pandemic restrictions can be lifted ahead of the targeted July 4 reopening date.
California was 13th on the list with 57% of eligible residents having received at least one vaccine dose, and 44% fully vaccinated. Officials say the state remains on track to reopen its economy June 15.
As of Saturday, no states were in the CDC’s red transmission level. The state with the highest level of transmission was Wyoming, in the orange substantial category with 83.6 total new cases per 100,000 in the past seven days, and a 7-day positive test rate from 3% to 4.9%. The state lifted its mask mandate in mid-March and on June 1, state officials allowed any remaining state public health orders to expire because, they said, vaccines had been readily available to state residents for some time.
Still, Wyoming has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country, according to the New York Times tracker with 37% of residents having received at least one shot, and 32% fully vaccinated, compared to the U.S. averages of 51% and 41%, respectively. The highest share of cases in Wyoming are occurring among young adults, with more than 10,000 reported in the 19- to 29-year-old age group.