Soaring Orange County in COVID-19 Cases: What You Need to Know

Orange County officials Coronavirus epidemic In the nationwide epidemic of highly contagious delta mutants.

As of Tuesday, 495 people with COVID-19 hospitalization In Orange County, it was highest in about 6 months, almost five times the number one month before 102 COVID-19 patients were admitted on July 10.

Still, recent numbers are well below the peak of the winter surge when 2,259 people were admitted to Orange County hospitals.

Last week, Orange County reported an average of 685 new coronavirus cases per day. According to the data Edited by the Times. This has more than quadrupled since mid-July, but far below the number of cases regularly seen in the region during the fall-winter surge.

Health officials are once again calling on residents to vaccinate.

“Most of us don’t go out [of the pandemic] Dr. Matthew Zahn, Deputy Health Doctor at Orange County and an expert on pediatric infectious diseases, said: “And, obviously, getting vaccinated is a safer and healthier way for us to go.”

Dr. Regina Chincio Kwon, Deputy Health Officer of Orange County, added: Also, if you are in a crowded area outdoors, you should consider wearing a mask. “

What are your areas of interest?

The positive test rate for Orange County is 8.3%, said Chinsio-Kwong. And as a sign of potential problems, positive rates are rising in the poorest areas of the county, with positive rates on Wednesday rising from 8.6% the day before to 8.9%.

“We are worried that the adjusted case rate will continue to rise,” said Chinsio-Kwong, as test positive rates are rising in low-income areas. “Usually, the more aggressive you are, the more the disease spreads to other people in the area.

“We expect and expect that positiveness. [rates] It will continue to rise, “she said. “Really, everyone in our community … all zip codes need to be precautionary.”

How about the hospital?

According to Dr. Carl Schurz, more and more time is waiting for ambulances to drop patients in the emergency department, and as ambulances are already crowded, more hospitals are demanding transfers to nearby emergency rooms. I am. Orange County Medical Director of Emergency Medical Services.

According to Schultz, the request to divert ambulance patients from hospitals is equivalent to 25% of Orange County hospitals being closed for 24 hours.

According to Schultz, nine hospitals in Orange County recently reported that it took more than an hour for many patients to be dropped from an ambulance into an emergency room.

But for now, the level of overcrowding means that people with minor injuries or illnesses have to wait longer to get care. But so far, Orange County hospitals can still give swift attention to critically ill people, Schultz said.

According to Schultz, hospital congestion is still not as bad as last winter. Also, Orange County is not in a position to urge authorities to cancel selective or scheduled surgery. Florida When Texas..

The problem with Orange County hospitals is not the beds and spaces, but the medical staff, Schultz said. “Slightly reducing elective surgery will probably free some staff for use elsewhere in the hospital,” he said.

Most hospitals in Orange County are functioning near standard capabilities, he said. “Some of them are starting to open tents to help ease some of the burden on the emergency department.”

Hospitals that are most hit by congestion tend to be near county boundaries. In general, hospitals in southern Orange County can be overcrowded due to the relatively shortage, and hospitals near the county border in northern Orange County can be crowded with patients from LA County.

Approximately 90% of COVID-19 patients in Orange County hospitals are not vaccinated, said supervisor Katrina Foley.

Where does Orange County stand in the vaccine?

64.2% of residents of all ages in Orange County have received at least one shot.

Still, there is a particular need for improvement in certain areas.In Orange County, “San Clemente, Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach, Newport [Beach] Everyone needs to work on immunization rates, “says Chinsio-Kwong.