COVID PM: To the yellow will we go? Parsing through the new vaccine guidelines for kids

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Hello everybody,

It was another busy day on the pandemic beat. Here are your COVID PM storylines for Tuesday, May 11 …

On the local front

Indoor dining — Will indoor dining levels increase next week? Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz

The yellow for real this time? With case counts down, Santa Cruz County in line to make move next week: Will Santa Cruz County make it into the yellow tier this time? We will find out in one week’s time whether case counts, and other criteria, remain at a level that meets standards to leave the orange. More from our Mallory Pickett on that here.

PREVIOUSLY: The elusive yellow: Slight increase in case counts again keeps Santa Cruz in orange tier

On the vaccine front

Syringes at the Marin County Vaccination Point of Dispensary — READ THE SERIES: CZU — One Year Later Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz

When can 12- to 15-year-olds start getting COVID-19 vaccines? What we know: The next step in the COVID-19 vaccine campaign is about to begin. On Monday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized COVID-19 vaccine distribution for use in children ages 12 to 15. COVID-19 vaccine appointments for Californians aged 12 to 15 could become available as soon as Thursday. What we know from our LA Times content partners.

How is your workplace handling the COVID-19 vaccine? As the COVID-19 vaccine becomes more widely available in the U.S., and employees who were working remotely are being called back to the office, The Times is interested in learning how your workplace is handling the question of employee vaccination. More from the Times here.

On the state front

Vaccine clinic — Jeymy Mendoza, 16, hugs her mother, Maria Jimenez, 34, as they wait in line in April to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination at a walk-up mobile clinic in Los Angeles. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

There’s growing confidence that the worst of COVID-19 is behind California: If those forecasts hold fast, California will enter the summer in a better place than many thought. State officials hope to have the economy largely reopened by June 15. And while coronavirus variants caused concerns earlier this year, officials and experts say they have generally been less aggressive than feared and vaccines seem to be offering protection against the various variants. More from the Times on that here.