California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday that the state has the lowest COVID-19 positivity rate in the country due to vaccination efforts that are helping to reduce the spread of COVID-19. While it’s a positive trend, it’s not time to celebrate, as health experts don’t know yet if family gatherings at Easter will cause a large increase in the number of cases.
In addition, there are variants to consider. A double-mutated variant from India has been detected in the San Francisco Bay area. Scientists say the vaccines may be slightly less effective at preventing moderate disease or moderate illness with this particular variant, but still urge residents to get vaccinated as soon as possible. As California is slowing the spread, 31 states are seeing cases rise. The CDC is still urging people to continue to avoid crowds and wear masks as not enough people are vaccinated yet to guarantee “herd immunity.”
