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It's a secret: California keeps key virus data from public

COVID-19
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SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - California's public health agency recently surprised local officials by lifting a stay-at-home order in the 13-county Greater Sacramento region.

It's a mystery how the state decided to lift regional restrictions because officials won't share their data despite repeated pledges of transparency.

State officials projected intensive care unit capacity and virus spread four weeks into the future to make the determination.

State health department spokeswoman Ali Bay said, "at the moment the projections are not being shared publicly," because officials say they could cause more confusion.

San Bernardino County spokesman David Wert said officials there aren't aware of the secret models but would welcome being able to see the data.