High daily coronavirus cases in OC Jeopardize move to a less restrictive demographic – NBC Los Angeles

Orange County reported 316 new cases of COVID-19 and 4 additional deaths on Saturday, bringing the county to a total of 58,326 and 1,444 deaths.

Numerous daily incidents continue to jeopardize county opportunities to move to the less restrictive layers of the state’s reopening roadmap. County officials say the daily average needs to drop to about 130 for the Orange County to move from the red to the orange layer.

According to the Orange County Healthcare Agency, the number of virus-related hospitalizations decreased from 162 to 159 on Friday, and the number of patients in the intensive care unit decreased from 58 to 55.

The average 3-day change in inpatients ranged from 1.2% to -4.1%. 33% of beds in the intensive care unit and 70% of ventilators are available in the county.

According to OCHCA data, 1,055,089 COVID-19 tests have been performed since the start of the pandemic, including 10,092 reported on Saturday. There were 52,088 documented collections.

Since last Sunday, the county has reported 35 COVID-19 deaths. Last week, the county reported 69 deaths. Last week, 54 coronavirus deaths were reported, down from 72 last week to 77 last week.

The county’s positive rate reported every Tuesday has been only 3.2% for the past two weeks, with a daily case rate of 4.6 per 100,000 population. This puts the county on the verge of transitioning from red to orange in the state’s four-tier surveillance system.

Moving to the orange layer means that retailers can run at full capacity instead of the 50% required for the red layer. Shopping centers are fully operational, but like the red tier, common areas are closed and food courts are reduced.

Orange County officials expect to remain in the red next week, said OC CEO Frank Kim.

He said public health officials were concerned about rising nationwide case rates and predicting increased infections during the winter.

“Everyone has the same concerns-we see the same numbers,” Kim said. “I’m happy about that because there’s no (surge) in hospital prices … but we’re all looking at the same thing, and there’s no way for Orange County to reach the Orange layer. . We are purple. “

Dr. Matthew Zahn, medical director of the county’s infectious disease management department, said at a press conference every Thursday about the county’s response to the disease, the coronavirus is especially dangerous for people with underlying illness and the elderly. “Surely a serious illness and death in the young population.”

It should also be noted that young adults “may spread the (virus) to other people, especially those around them who are at risk.” “And they themselves are at risk. This is not the flu. The virus is still difficult and a significant risk for all ages.”

Efforts since this summer to curb the COVID-19 epidemic at hotspots in Santa Ana and Anaheim have led to 74.4, according to a Thursday note from Dr. Clayton Chau, director of OCHCA and chief health officer of the county. % Decrease in positive rate-from an average of 22.5% on July 7 to 5.8% on October 19.

New data from the American Academy of Pediatrics show a 13% increase in infected children in the first two weeks of October.

Dr. Margaret Bredehoft, Deputy Director of Public Health Services, announces a new program by the county and Orange County Department of Education to staff a team of school nurses available to parents from 8 am to 11 am on weekdays. Did. Weekend afternoon. The nurse will assist parents in preparing to quarantine infected students and provide school officials with other guidance on disinfecting classrooms and other measures to control the spread of the virus.

Bredehoft also announced a campaign to encourage the use of masks among students. Elementary to high school students are encouraged to take part in facecover contests promoting essays, videos and art to curb the spread of the coronavirus and win school technical grants.

Dr. Philip Robinson, medical director of infection prevention and hospital epidemiology at Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian, told City News Service that experts are anticipating another wave of coronavirus this fall. Zahn agreed that the colder the temperature, the more people would rush indoors and the virus could spread more efficiently, so there could be another wave. He said the annual flu season can exacerbate it.