California now has nation’s lowest virus transmission rate

By AMY TAXIN
Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) — California is seeing lower coronavirus transmission than other U.S. states as virus cases and hospitalizations decline following a summer surge. The state is currently the only one experiencing “substantial” coronavirus transmission, the second-highest level on the CDC’s color-coded map. So is Puerto Rico. In all other U.S. states, virus transmission is labeled as “high.” State health experts say relatively high vaccination rates in California ahead of the arrival of the delta variant made a difference. They say additional measures, such as masking, also helped stem the surge. State data shows nearly 70 percent of eligible Californians are fully vaccinated.