This is an exciting season to be in, the 3rd summer since the breakout of the Covid-19 pandemic. Perhaps we are heading into some kind of stability. Infections are still there, although hospitalization and death rates have gone down. In terms of protective measure of vaccines, those who want it have already been vaccinated. The unvaccinated folks do not want to get it. How do we enjoy this summer, where do we go? Where would we eat, where would we get our food, gas and other supplies? We made out a travel advisory for ourselves depending on the local vaccination rate.
| Go | > 80% | Most people are vaccinated, safe to move around without masks |
| Caution | > 70% | Not as many people care, wear a mask when not eating |
| Risky | > 60% | Avoid crowded and public places, plan to stop for gas only |
| No Go | Elsewhere | Do not expose yourself, do not stop other than an emergency |
The following tables show the vaccination rate for the different counties in the state of California. We assume that travel is safe in the places with a high vaccination rates, and not so safe with a corresponding low rate. This is not an exact science, but a vaccination rate of around 50% means that every other person we come across is unvaccinated and a potential carrier of the virus. They can be asymptomatic too, and we’d need to protect ourselves with face masks whenever in public. On the other hand, a rate of close to 90% means that only 1 in 10 people we meet could be carrying the virus, reducing the probability of getting infected.
| Del Norte (52.6) | Siskiyou (52.3) | Shasta (50.6) | Modoc (41.6) | Lassen (31.3) | Plumas (56.8) |
| Humboldt (70.9) | Trinity (48.0) | Tehama (46.8) | Glenn (57.8) | Butte (54.6) | Sierra (53.4) |
| Mendocino (71.8) | Lake (58.9) | Colusa (61.3) | Yuba (53.8) | Nevada (67.4) | Placer (71.1) |
In Northern California, the coastal counties are mostly safe to visit, other than the extreme north. If we wish to head out to the Sierras, Placer county would be the safest bet.
| Marin (91.2) | Sonoma (81.3) | Napa (82.0) | Yolo (72.9) | Sutter (63.5) | El Dorado (61.4) |
| San Francisco (86.8) | Contra Costa (86.6) | Solano (72.0) | Sacramento (72.1) | Amador (57.9) | Alpine (66.0) |
| San Mateo (88.3) | Alameda (86.2) | San Joaquin (65.0) | Calaveras (58.7) | Tuolumne (58.3) | Mariposa (47.1) |
| Santa Cruz (79.0) | Santa Clara (88.4) | Stanislaus (60.3) | Merced (54.9) | Madera (57.3) | Mono (68.6) |
| Monterey (76.5) | San Benito (78.6) | Fresno (64.8) | Kings (48.4) | Tulare (57.3) | Inyo (65.8) |
San Francisco Bay area appears to be the safest region in the whole state. As we go inland or even up and down the coast, the risk of getting infected increases. From this map, the wine counties of Northern California might be the safest places to vist.
| San Luis Obispo (68.6) | Kern (65.8) | San Bernardino (60.7) | Riverside (62.7) | Imperial (95.1) |
| Santa Barbara (72.8) | Ventura (76.3) | Los Angeles (76.6) | Orange (76.5) | San Diego (79.1) |
Coastal counties of Southern California present us with moderate risk. As we go inland, the risk increases. One exception to this pattern is Imperial county, with the highest rate of vaccination in the entire state.