Orange County Coronavirus Cases Grow: No Tier Change In Sight

ORANGE COUNTY, CA — Orange County has reported 308 new cases of COVID-19 and three additional deaths, bringing the county's totals to 62,563, cases and 1,509 fatalities as of Monday.

The spike in recent cases could point to a possible "second wave" of the pandemic long feared by many. The numbers continues to jeopardize the county's hopes of moving into the next tier of California's four-tier coronavirus monitoring system.

Orange County CEO Frank Kim said last week that "Our numbers still look OK," but officials have said the daily case numbers would have to come down to about 130 for the county to be upgraded from the red to the orange tier, allowing more businesses to reopen and those that are already open to increase their capacity.

"While Orange County remains in the red tier, it is important we continue that trend so that we can eventually go downward to the next tier," Orange County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Michelle Steel said at the county's weekly news conference on its COVID-19 efforts. "As we get closer to the holiday season, it is important ... we continue to wear a face mask when in public and practice social distancing when possible."

The number of hospitalizations related to the virus inched up from 201 Sunday to 205 Monday, with the number of intensive care unit patients rising from 72 to 76, according to the Orange County Health Care Agency.

The county has 31% of its intensive care unit beds and 65% of its ventilators available.

According to OCHCA data, 1,190,732 COVID-19 tests have been conducted since the start of the pandemic.

There have been 55,063 documented recoveries.
The county's positivity rate, which is reported each Tuesday, but was reported Wednesday last week because of the election, rose from 3.2% to 3.6%, and the daily case rate per 100,000 population increased from 5.1 last week to 6.

The county's Health Equity Quartile Positivity Rate, which measures a county's response to hot spots, decreased from 6% to 5.7%. The county has to reach at least 5.2% in that metric to move into the orange tier from the red tier.

One of the peskiest issues county officials have been dealing with is socializing among teens and young adults.
"It's a major issue," said Dr. Matthew Zahn, medical director of the county's communicable disease control division. "I think our biggest goals, our most consistent goals, is reaching out to these populations."

Zahn said efforts are being made to reach out to students on campus to reinforce the importance of social and physical distancing and mask usage. He said that often, however, on campus or at a workplace, there is more mindfulness of social distancing, but not so much after class or work.

"The natural human habit is to let their guard down in social settings," Zahn said. "And it's the social settings where so much spread happens."

Health officials have been warning of a potential rise in cases during the holidays as residents seek to fraternize more and stay inside more often because of the changing weather.

"There seems to be an inevitability over the next couple of months," Zahn said. "But it's important we don't let our guard down."

Zahn advised residents to just celebrate the holidays in a different way than usual "because there is a risk there" of spreading the virus with family get-togethers.

He also commented on increasing youth sports activities in which parents and children are traveling out of states for competitions. He said the traveling back and forth isn't so much a concern, but the "crowding" that sports contests encourage "is a major driver of risk."

When asked about a swim meet in Irvine this weekend, Zahn said he wasn't aware of it, but was concerned the organizers had not reached out to the agency for guidance.

Officials have said the daily average of new cases would have to come down to about 130 for Orange County to make the orange tier, allowing for more businesses to reopen and for some already open to increase their capacity. However, if cases rise too much, the county could slip back into the most- restrictive purple tier.

The current by-city total for Orange County as of Monday is as follows:

Aliso Viejo - 451 Total Cases

Anaheim - 10703 Total Cases

Brea - 622 Total Cases

Buena Park - 1801 Total Cases

Costa Mesa - 2134 Total Cases

Coto de Caza - 58 Total Cases

Cypress - 654 Total Cases

Dana Point - 320 Total Cases

Fountain Valley - 621 Total Cases

Fullerton - 3014 Total Cases

Garden Grove - 3462 Total Cases

Huntington Beach - 2734 Total Cases

Irvine - 2058 Total Cases

La Habra - 1713 Total Cases

La Palma - 179 Total Cases

Ladera Ranch - 202 Total Cases

Laguna Beach - 260 Total Cases

Laguna Hills - 375 Total Cases

Laguna Niguel - 539 Total Cases

Laguna Woods - 84 Total Cases

Lake Forest - 983 Total Cases

Los Alamitos - 244 Total Cases

Midway City - 141 Total Cases

Mission Viejo - 1017 Total Cases

Newport Beach - 1296 Total Cases

Orange - 2910 Total Cases

Placentia - 1128 Total Cases

Rancho Mission Viejo - 80 Total Cases

Rancho Santa Margarita - 412 Total Cases

Rossmoor - 73 Total Cases

San Clemente - 644 Total Cases

San Juan Capistrano - 677 Total Cases

Santa Ana - 12017 Total Cases

Seal Beach - 321 Total Cases

Silverado - 43 Total Cases

Stanton - 744 Total Cases

Trabuco Canyon - 230 Total Cases

Tustin - 1521 Total Cases

Villa Park - 68 Total Cases

Westminster - 1242 Total Cases

Yorba Linda - 888 Total Cases