California coronavirus updates: Sacramento moved in CDC’s highest COVID-19 level with 12 other California counties

4:16 p.m.: Sacramento moved in CDC’s highest COVID-19 level with 12 other California counties

Sacramento, El Dorado, Placer and Yolo counties were placed in the highest COVID-19 community level by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control Thursday as cases and hospitalizations continue to rise in the region.

Overall, 13 California counties moved into the CDC’s “high” community level. The measurement tracks the impact of COVID-19 on a community, and is based on a combination of case rates, hospitalization rates and the percentage of hospital beds used by COVID-19 patients.

Over the past week, Sacramento County recorded 283 new COVID-19 cases and 12.1 COVID-19 hospital admissions per 100,000 people. The limit to stay in the CDC’s low tier is 200 cases and 10 hospitalizations.

The other California counties in the high tier are Del Norte, Marin, Mendocino, Monterey, Napa, San Benito, Santa Clara, Solano and Sonoma.

At the high community level, the CDC recommends all people wear masks indoors in public places, stay up to date on vaccinations (including booster shots if you are eligible), and get tested if they have symptoms

The Sacramento City Unified School District has said it will return to universal masking if the county moved to the high community level. Sacramento County health officilas have not yet responed to questions about if they will change any COVID-19 policies.

9:42 a.m.: Some local governments turning down $73 million in federal pandemic relief funds

Local governments across the U.S. have turned down a potential total of $73 million in federal pandemic relief funds.

An Associated Press analyst found that 1,468 smaller cities, towns, villages and counties effectively said “no” to their share of the American Rescue Plan.

Some local officials told the AP they had no need for the money. Others said they didn’t want the hassle of dealing with the federal government.

In a few cases, some expressed political opposition to the relief package enacted last year by the Democratic-led Congress and President Joe Biden.

The rejected money amounts to a small percentage of the $350 billion of government aid.

9:34 a.m.: Latest COVID-19 vaccine, Novavax, hopes to win out vaccine holdouts

Americans may soon get a new COVID-19 vaccine option — a more traditional kind of shot known as a protein vaccine.

According to the Associated Press, the Food and Drug Administration is evaluating the vaccine made by Novavax. It’s late in the pandemic for a new choice, but with millions still unvaccinated or needing boosters, the Maryland-based company is hoping to find a niche.

The vaccine is made very differently from the widely used Pfizer and Moderna shots. Novavax’s COVID-19 shots are authorized in numerous other countries, but U.S. clearance is a key hurdle.

9:10 a.m.: Brace yourself for sticker shock if you’re traveling this summer

If you haven’t booked your summer vacation plans, you’re already too late to snag the best deals, according to travel experts.

Airfares are up, hotel rates are up, and airlines are bracing for a big summer, as reported by the Associated Press.

High prices are not the only thing travelers need to worry about.

Airlines have thousands fewer employees than they did before the pandemic, which means they could struggle to handle the expected crowds. During Memorial Day weekend, United Airlines canceled 2% or 2,800 flights from that Thursday to Monday.

Delta canceled 800 flights and said it faced several issues, with rising COVID-19 cases among staff being one of them.

Despite all of this, consumers seem to be burnt out from pandemic fatigue and seem to be taking it all in stride. Airlines say bookings are running at record levels, and spending on U.S. flights is running ahead of 2019 levels.

9:48 a.m.: Cal Poly San Luis Obispo has reinstated indoor masking

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo has reinstated indoor masking due to rising numbers of COVID-19 cases, as reported by the Associated Press.

The decisions taking effect on Tuesday cover all campus facilities and applies to all students, employees and visitors regardless of vaccination status.

A university statement says the numbers are not on the order of what was seen during the worst of the winter omicron surge, but they are still concerning from a health and safety standpoint.

The mandate had previously been lifted in February.

9:23 a.m.: Political gridlock could delay COVID-19 funds until fall or later

The Biden administration foresees unnecessary deaths if lawmakers don’t approve billions of dollars more to brace for the pandemic’s next wave, yet the push to provide the money is in limbo in Congress.

It’s the latest victim of election-year gridlock that’s already stalled or killed a host of Democratic priorities, according to the Associated Press.

President Joe Biden’s request for funds for vaccines, testing and treatments has run into opposition from Republicans.

The GOP has also complicated the election-year fight by fusing it with the politically precarious issue of immigration. If the issue isn’t resolved soon, the next best chance of handling it may not come until the fall.

9:14 a.m.: WHO greenlights China’s CanSino vaccine for emergency use

The World Health Organization has granted an emergency use authorization for the coronavirus vaccine made by China’s CanSino Biologics.

According to the Associated Press, it’s the 11th coronavirus vaccine to receive WHO’s greenlight.

In a statement on Thursday, the U.N. health agency said the single-dose vaccine was found to be about 92% effective against severe COVID-19 and 64% effective in preventing people from getting symptoms.

WHO’s expert vaccine group recommends the CanSino vaccine for everyone 18 and over.

Last year, China’s top infectious disease official acknowledged that the country’s vaccines offered low protection against COVID-19 and that mixing them with booster doses of messenger RNA vaccines might be needed.