Easier hospitalization for Orange County COVID-19, spurring hope for the end of Omicron Peak

According to data released Friday by the Orange County Healthcare Agency, county-wide COVID-19 hospitalizations showed another welcome decline for the second consecutive day.

The number of hospitalized patients also decreased from 1,183 to 1,144 on Thursday, and the number of patients in the intensive care unit decreased from 199 to 188.

However, the percentage of ICU beds available across the county dropped from 19.4% on Thursday to just 17.5%, below the 20% threshold of concern for health professionals, and the number of ventilators available. It was 60.6%.

Eighty-five percent of hospitalized patients are unvaccinated and 87% of ICU patients are unvaccinated. The county was hospitalized so often in February 2021 with 1,164 COVID-19 patients on February 5.

Andrew Neumer, an epidemiologist and professor of population health and disease prevention at the University of California, Irvine, told City News Service on Friday that the data was “continuous improvement and we may have turned the corner. I don’t know. “

Still, Neumer added, “Sure, it’s a little hard to call it, but it seems like you’ve found a peak, but COVID is littered with premature celebrations.”

The adjusted daily case rate per 100,000 inhabitants of Orange County dropped from 200 on Thursday to 197.1 on Friday. Test positive rates also dropped from 27.4% to 26.5% in large populations and from 31.5% to 29.5% in the quartile of health inequalities, which measure poorly serviced communities most affected by pandemics. did.

The county reported 11,020 new positive COVID-19 tests on Friday, raising the cumulative total to 477,127. The county recorded an additional seven deaths, with so far 5,953 deaths.

The death toll in January was 22, with 78 recorded in December and 104 in November. According to county figures, these figures have been steadily decreasing since September, when 196 people died of COVID-19.

In contrast, the death toll before the Delta variant spurred the summer surge was 31 in July, 19 in June, 26 in May, 47 in April and 202 in March. , 620 people died in February. January 2021 was the worst month of the pandemic in Orange County, with 1,598 deaths and 985 lives lost to the virus prior to the next worst December 2020.

One of the seven deaths reported on Friday was a resident of a living support facility, and the death toll has increased to 648 since the pandemic began in that category.

Meanwhile, outbreaks, defined as three or more infected, dropped from 42 elderly support living facilities last week to 37 as of Tuesday, and from 30 to 29 in skilled long-term care facilities. ..

According to Dr. Clayton Chau, Chief Health Officer of Orange County, county authorities are coordinating staff support and distributing COVID-19 tests in community-based living and skilled nursing facilities. A rigorous test regimen helps residents and staff assess the risk of the facility, allowing operators to keep their visits open.

“It’s not good [residents’] Mr Chau said at a press conference on Tuesday that he should not visit with his relatives.

Due to the widespread shortage of personnel in the medical industry, state officials allow infected healthcare workers to report that they work if they work with asymptomatic and infected patients. Chau added.

Orange County prisons are also managing the recent outbreak. As of Friday, 349 infected prisoners were reported from 275 on Wednesday. Of the infected, 79 were newly booked at the facility.

Doug Chafy, chairman of the Orange County Supervisory Board, noted that the majority of COVID-19 inpatients were not vaccinated and called on residents to be vaccinated.

“It’s stressing the whole system,” Chafy said on Tuesday. “The hospital is full of unvaccinated patients, so people with other medical needs will not get the care they need. If we work together, we will win this COVID battle and succeed and prosper in 2022. Will be the year. “

As of Thursday, the number of inhabitants who were fully vaccinated against Orange County was 2,372,444. That number includes an increase from 2,205,067 last week to 2,219,206 residents who received a double-dose regimen of the vaccine from Pfizer or Moderna.

The number of people who received a single vaccination with Johnson & Johnson also increased from 152,694 to 153,238. Booster shots increased from 975,937 to 1,043,267.

“I’m happy to hear that,” Neumer said on Friday.

The number of vaccinated children between the ages of 5 and 11 has risen from 52,803 to 57,435 this week, compared to 211,145, who remain unvaccinated and occupy the least vaccinated age group in Orange County. Increased. The next unvaccinated age group is 25 to 34 years old, with 316,763 vaccinated and 142,638 unvaccinated.

The infection rate per 100,000 unvaccinated inhabitants has decreased from 355.9 on January 8 to 234.1 on January 15, and the latest data are available. For fully vaccinated individuals who did not receive booster shots, the infection rate dropped from 275.5 to 162.1. When fully vaccinated and boosted, the rate dropped from 114.8 to 73.5.

Supporting our coverage by becoming a digital subscriber.