California doubles Florida's COVID-19 infection rate

California’s COVID-19 case rate is now twice that of Florida, despite the Golden State’s decision to enforce strict mask mandates and superior vaccination rates.  

Last month, California Gov. Gavin Newsom took to Twitter, boasting, “California continues to lead the nation with the lowest COVID case rate and as the only state in the CDC’s 'moderate transmission' category.”

Gov. Newsom put some of the strictest coronavirus measures in place last year, most of which have continued into 2021. 

Newsom’s enthusiasm was surely short-lived, however.

Rates rose dramatically across the Golden States this month, climbing to the CDC’s red “high” level of virus transmission, as the highly contagious delta variant continues to spread, the Tampa Bay Times reported.

But Southern states such as Texas and Florida – where strict COVID-19 related mandates are not enforced – are down to the CDC’s orange “substantial” transmission level.

Presently, California's seven-day case rate is 113.4 cases per 100,000 people, higher than the 72.7 cases per 100,000 people reported in Texas and more than double Florida's rate of 50.1.

And while Governor Newsom has not restricted vaccine mandates like his counterparts in Texas and Florida, Californians aren’t getting vaccinated at a significantly higher rate. Currently, 62 percent of Californians are fully vaccinated compared with 60 percent of Floridians and 54 percent of Texans.

But some health experts say California’s surge isn’t happening because prevention guidance isn’t sound.

“Outbreaks burn out once the virus runs out of enough new people without immunity to infect. People can gain immunity both from infection recovery and vaccines,” according to The Mercury News.

California saw fewer COVID-19 cases over the summer than states with lower vaccination rates as the Delta variant rapidly spread across unvaccinated areas. Now, those areas have higher rates of immunity, making it more difficult for the virus to spread.

"These regions are now being partly protected by high prior infection rates," Dr. Bob Wachter, chair of the medical department at the University of California-San Francisco, told The Mercury News. "But these people whose immunity comes from COVID are not very well protected, and their immunity will wane with time."

In a way, “you’re paying for your success, which is weird,” said Ali H. Mokdad, professor of health metrics sciences at the University of Washington. “You succeed in controlling the virus, and now you’re having infections.”

Mokdad continued to explain that states that saw large outbreaks over the summer are doing better now because increased vaccination rates coupled with natural immunity have left fewer people at risk of contracting the COVID-19.

But those states "got there at a heavy price," Mokdad added.