Orange County's Coronavirus Hotspots On Notice As July 4 Looms

ORANGE COUNTY, CA — With the July 4 weekend on the way, and beaches and bars to our north closing for the holiday weekend, Orange County set another daily record for coronavirus cases Tuesday, announcing 779 infections, along with 10 additional deaths.

County officials earlier Tuesday reported three new deaths, but the county's website updated its numbers in the afternoon to show 10 newly confirmed fatalities. The totals do not reflect the number of diagnoses in the last 24 hours, but are acquired from the state and could have been diagnosed days or weeks ago.

The deaths reported Tuesday bring the number to 17 so far this week and 340 overall. Last week was the deadliest week of the pandemic in Orange County, with 56 deaths reported.

The county's total coronavirus case load stands at 13,843.

Of the COVID-19 diagnoses reported Tuesday, 43 percent are from the past week, officials said.

The number of hospitalized patients in Orange County rose from 485 on Monday to 510, with the number of patients in intensive care rising from 175 to 176.

To date, the ages of those who have died:

• Between 25 and 34: 3
• Between 35 and 44: 8
• Between 45 and 54: 30 (+1)
• Between 55 and 64: 42 (+1)
• Between 65 and 74: 59 (+1)
• Between 75 and 84: 91 (+3)
• Over 85: 107 (+4)

By the numbers, the current by-city coronavirus counts across Orange County on Tuesday:

• Aliso Viejo: 77
• Anaheim: 2,591
• Brea: 97
• Buena Park: 425
• Costa Mesa: 342
• Coto de Caza : 9
• Cypress: 133
• Dana Point: 54
• Fountain Valley: 120
• Fullerton: 570
• Garden Grove: 772
• Huntington Beach: 637
• Irvine: 387
• La Habra: 278
• La Palma: 45
• Ladera Ranch: 31
• Laguna Beach: 61
• Laguna Hills: 75
• Laguna Niguel: 81
• Laguna Woods: 17 (unchanged)
• Lake Forest: 161
• Los Alamitos: 95
• Midway City: 39
• Mission Viejo: 170
• Newport Beach: 295
• Orange: 618
• Placentia: 244
• Rancho Mission Viejo: 18
• Rancho Santa Margarita: 60
• Rossmoor: 18 (unchanged)
• San Clemente: 104
• San Juan Capistrano: 85
• Santa Ana: 2,850
• Seal Beach: 109
• Stanton: 170
• Trabuco Canyon: 35
• Tustin: 276
• Villa Park: 18
• Westminster: 285
• Yorba Linda: 166

The county has performed 233,281 COVID-19 tests, with 7,423 documented recoveries as of Tuesday.

Orange County Board of Supervisors are focusing on communities that have become hotbeds of coronavirus within the county, they said in a conference, Tuesday.

Officials are developing new strategies to educate the public and assist those who are unable to stay home even though they have tested positive for coronavirus.

The communities of Anaheim and Santa Ana remain the hotbeds of the coronavirus pandemic within the county, with a large number of lower income residents having tested positive for COVID-19, according to Orange County Health Care Agency Dr. David Chau.

According to officials, there is not just a pandemic in these cities. There is an infodemic, or a lack of proper information on how to avoid the spread of coronavirus.

The county will move ahead with a new call center open 7 days a week, helping parents be trained to talk about the coronavirus pandemic with their children.

According to officials, there is an "infodemic" of fake information related to coronavirus, false cures for the disease and scam artists preying on people who are looking for help and hope.

"This is about health, this is about a pandemic, this is a communicable disease," Chau said.

In Anaheim and Santa Ana, officials are beginning what they called a "perfectly imperfect" system to bring special services for the latino communities to address disparities to make these cities healthier places for all, Supervisor Chaffee said.

Beyond teaching communities how to properly social distance, conduct personal hygiene and help provide masks, Supervisor Doug Chafee discussed the importance of respect and decency that ultimately will help everyone.

Wearing a face covering means that not only do you not want to become ill, you also don't want to infect anyone else, he said.

"It's very important that we respect each other, and care for each other," Chafee said. "We can only win the fight by joining together and truly caring about each other."

Hygiene, face coverings, and social distancing are the way to outwardly show that you care for others, according to Chaffee.

City coronavirus counts fluctuate daily, however it is the zip codes around the Santa Ana and Anaheim cities that are seeing the brunt of coronavirus cases and deaths within the county, according to the Orange County Health Care Agency Website.

City News Service contributed to this report.