Vaccinations Across Orange County Double As 2 More Die Of COVID

ORANGE COUNTY, CA — More coronavirus cases were reported over the weekend, as Orange County's vaccinations have doubled, according to figures released by Orange County Health Care Agency on Monday. Another 1,855 people became infected with coronavirus countywide, officials say. Two more people have died as a result of COVID-19, according to the most recent figures released Monday.

On Monday, 570 people remain hospitalized due to the ongoing pandemic. Of those, 116 have been admitted into intensive care, OC Health Care states.

As of current statistics, Orange County hospitals have 19.5 percent of adult ICU beds available, and 70 percent of ventilators are not currently in use.

Experts say hospitalizations are a more important statistic than case numbers because any surge can be exacerbated by an overburdened health care system, and case numbers are expected to rise as schools and businesses require more people to get tested, according to reports.

The latest cases reported by the county raised the combined total of Orange County residents to have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic to 281,092. A total of 5,178 residents have died as a direct result of the coronavirus pandemic.

As of last week, 76.2 percent of county residents aged 12 and older have received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine, and 66.6 percent of residents are fully vaccinated.

Vaccinations remain on the rise, health officials said last week.

The daily average number of vaccines given is up over the last few weeks is in the high 8,000s, as opposed to the low 4,000s previously.