Coronavirus

Map shows COVID-19 community levels in your area, where masks are recommended indoors

New CDC guidance measures the community impact of COVID-19 and masking requirements. Our maps tell you where your county stands.

ByGrace Manthey and Lindsey Feingold KABC logo

Monday, February 28, 2022

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SAN FRANCISCO -- New metrics from the CDC take into consideration hospitalization numbers when measuring the impact of COVID-19 and masking requirements for communities.

Previously, the "high," "substantial," "moderate" and "low" transmission categories were based on case rates and positivity percentages and the CDC recommended indoor masking for counties in the "moderate" or "low" levels. These new categories incorporate hospital admissions and bed utilization in addition to case rates.

Counties with more than 200 new cases per 100,000 people in the past seven days will be categorized in the "high" level if its new weekly COVID-19 hospital admissions per 100,000 people is higher than 10, or if the percentage of staffed inpatient beds occupied by COVID-19 patients over the last seven days is more than 10%. Otherwise, the county will be categorized in the "medium" level. Counties with a weekly case rate of more than 200 cannot move into the "low" category.

For counties with fewer than 200 new cases per 100,000 people in the past seven days, weekly hospitalization admission rates of more than 20 and a percentage of staffed beds occupied by COVID patients of more than 15% will be at the "high" level.

For the "medium" level, hospitalization admission rates must be between 10 and 20, and bed utilization between 10% and 15%. The "low" level is for counties with less than 10 weekly new COVID-19 admissions per 100,000 people, and less than 10% of beds occupied by COVID-19 patients.

Indoor masking is recommended for counties at a "high" level.

See our maps and tables below for the metrics in your county.

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For more guidance on what precautions you should take at each level, refer to the CDC.

VACCINE TRACKER: How California is doing, when you can get a coronavirus vaccine

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