San Bernardino County is missing the mark for the yellow, or minimal risk, tier in the state’s coronavirus reopening framework. The county reported 39 more COVID-19 cases and no deaths Tuesday (May 18). The county, which has been in the orange tier since April 6, continues to meet two of the three criteria to move into the yellow tier, but the numbers slightly worsened this week. The rate of new cases per day per 100,000 residents rose to 2.7, up from 2.5 last week. The percentage of tests coming back positive was 1.4% for the whole county, and 1.6% in disadvantaged neighborhoods. Both are up 0.1% from the week before.
San Bernardino County also hit a milestone, with more than 800,000 residents who have received at least one vaccine dose as of Monday, May 17. That’s about 36.1% of the county’s total population, but is the 14th-lowest rate among California’s 58 counties. Statewide, 50% of Californians have now received at least one shot.
Here are the latest San Bernardino County numbers.
Confirmed cases: 297,300 total, up 39 from Monday, averaging 86 reported per day in the past week
Deaths: 4,518 total, no change from Monday, averaging three reported per day in the past week
Hospital survey: 76 confirmed and 21 suspected patients hospitalized Monday, including 20 confirmed and four suspected patients in the ICU, with 25 of 25 facilities reporting. The number of confirmed patients is up 17% from a week earlier.
Tests: 3,044,905 total, up 3,802 from Monday, averaging 6,282 reported per day in the past week
Resolved cases (estimate): 291,869 total, up 56 from Monday, averaging 96 per day in the past week
Vaccinations: San Bernardino County residents have received 1,387,305 doses, with 174,214 people partially vaccinated and another 627,266 fully vaccinated, as of Monday. The number of residents who have received at least one dose is up 32,985 in the past week.
Reopening plan tier: Orange (moderate risk level; some indoor business operations are open with modifications) based on these metrics as of Tuesday:
New cases per day per 100,000 residents: 2.7
Case rate adjusted for testing volume: 2.7
Test positivity rate: 1.4% (1.6% in socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods)
What’s next: To advance to the yellow tier where more businesses can open or expand capacity, the county would need an adjusted case rate below 2.0 and a positivity rate below 2.0% for the whole county and 2.2% in disadvantaged neighborhoods for two consecutive weeks, and to have been in the orange tier for three weeks. San Bernardino County moved to the orange tier April 6. If metrics get worse, the county could move back into the more restrictive red tier.
