New statewide data in California reportedly shows that areas with above-average vaccination rates are experiencing an uptick in coronavirus infections while areas with below-average vaccination rates are experiencing a decrease.
The perplexing trend comes as elected officials and health experts across the country aggressively encourage unvaccinated individuals to become immunized against the virus.
KOVR-TV reported Monday that “a new analysis finds several counties with above-average vaccination rates also have higher COVID case rates, while case rates are falling in counties with below-average vaccination rates.” Here’s more from the report:
Statewide data analyzed by the Bay Area News Group found five counties, Los Angeles, San Diego, Alameda, Contra Costa, and San Francisco, have both a higher percentage of people who are fully vaccinated than the state average and a higher average daily case rate.
Compare that to these five counties: Modoc, Glenn, Lassen, Del Norte, and San Benito, which have below-average vaccination rates and decreasing case rates.
While health experts are well aware that the news is confounding, they insist it is not proof that vaccinations are counter-productive. Rather, they suggest that population density and the contagiousness of the Delta variant may be reasons for the trend.