California took its most significant step backwards on the state’s color-coded COVID-19 risk tiers Tuesday since the reopening system was implemented in September.
State officials announced that 11 counties are moving backwards on the risk tiers and no counties would move forward as cases have increased statewide.
The seven-day average number of new daily cases has now topped 6,000. The 14-day positivity rate has increased to 3.7%, up from 2.9% just two weeks ago.
That increase in cases has also been mirrored by an increase in hospitalizations and ICU stays over the last two weeks, which have increase 31.6% and 29.6%, respectively.
California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said Tuesday those number are likely to continue rising. "Today’s cases become hospitalizations two to three weeks out."
Contra Costa and Santa Cruz counties are among the counties moving backwards.
Sacramento, San Diego and Stanislaus counties are moving backwards to the most restrictive purple or "widespread" tier.
Amador, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Placer and Santa Cruz counties are moving back to the red or "substantial" tier and Modoc, Siskiyou and Trinity counties are moving to the orange or "moderate" tiers.
No counties will move forward this week.
"We’re starting to see a number of counties statewide increase in the number of cases. That is what we are concerned about, that is why we are watching things very closely," said Dr. Ghaly.
California is among the 46 states nationwide experiencing an increase in the number of cases, increasing state officials’ concerns.
"We started seeing some slow increases, probably at the start of October," said Dr. Erica Pan, state epidemiologist and HHS deputy director. "So as we see reopenings, which is anticipated, we’ve started to see more cases and more and more concern about increasing community transmission."
Officials once again urged the public to continue following infection control guidelines including wearing your mask, minimizing contact with people outside your household, avoiding high risk behaviors and staying home if you feel sick.