Placer County COVID-19 cases ‘slowed considerably’ after winter surge, officials say

COVID-19 infection rates in Placer County have “slowed considerably” during the spring, according to a report from the county’s public health officials.

As of Friday, the county’s test positivity rate is 2.8%, now falling within the state’s “orange” tier and the second-lowest tier in the state’s framework. But the case rate stands at 7.5 cases per 100,000, keeping the foothill communities there in the more-restrictive “red” tier.

Of the 1,092 new cases last month, health officials reported, the majority of people who tested positive for the virus said that they had been in close contact with a family member who had a confirmed case.

Less than one-third of all new cases were connected to large gatherings, officials said. And schools continue to not be a significant source of cases, the data show.

Three people died of the virus last month, a sharp drop from the winter surge that saw as many as 89 people die in December and 68 in January. So far, a total of 275 Placer County residents have died from the virus.

Hospital capacity also dramatically improved since the winter surge, with only 16 people hospitalized with the virus as of Friday compared to 208 at the end of December. Three people are hospitalized in the ICU.

And, as of Monday, Placer County has vaccinated more than half of its total population, administering more than 212,000 shots since January.

Along with the rest of the state, beginning on April 16, Placer County residents 16 and older will be eligible to receive the vaccine.