OC Supes Honor Top Doc, Promise More Mobile Vaccine Clinics

ORANGE COUNTY, CA — Orange County Board of Supervisors Chairman Andrew Do and Vice-Chairman Doug Chaffee hailed Chau on Friday for being named physician of the year by the Orange County Medical Association.

Chau has recently been the focus of hundreds of residents opposed to Orange County's handling of the pandemic. In a joint statement, the supervisors praised Chau for his "integrity, excellence, compassion and exceptional leadership throughout his career in public health. During these unprecedented times, Dr. Chau's contribution to the residents of Orange County in fighting against the pandemic is especially commendable."

Though numbers are still low, coronavirus is still with us. There are 55 new COVID-19 infections, hospitalization rates maintain some of the lowest numbers since the first couple of months of the pandemic.

Hospitalizations inched up from 61 on Thursday to 62 on Friday, but the number of intensive care unit patients decreased from 18 to 14.

The new infections increased the county's cumulative case number to 255,164. Three additional fatalities were reported, raising the cumulative death toll to 5,059.

One death occurred in March, raising the death toll in that month to 182.
In December, two other fatalities were reported, boosting the death toll in the second deadliest month of the pandemic to 938.

The death toll so far this month stands at five, and 41 for last month.
The death toll for February is 581. The death toll in January, the deadliest month in the pandemic, is 1,546.

Another 9,702 COVID-19 tests were reported Friday, bringing the county's total to 3,906,305.

According to the weekly state data released every Tuesday, the average for the county's daily case rate per 100,000 residents dropped from 1.5 to 1.3. The overall test positivity rate improved from 0.9% to 0.8%, and the county's Health Equity Quartile rate, which measures positivity in hot spots in disadvantaged communities, declined from 0.9% to 0.7%.

The county public health officer, Dr. Clayton Chau, who also is director of the Orange County Health Care Agency, said the county had administered more than 3 million doses of vaccines. At least 1.6 million people have received one dose, and 1.3 million are fully vaccinated, he said.

About 360,000 residents are awaiting a second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, Chau said. Since residents 12 and older can now get a shot, there are 2.7 million residents eligible for a vaccine, he said.

Chau said anyone who has recovered from COVID-19 is still recommended to get a shot because studies show that vaccinated people have six times more antibodies.

He said the county is aiming to hold 30 mobile vaccination clinics as the mass vaccination sites are shut down.

"We're reaching the point where people will get the vaccine if we make it more convenient," Chau said Tuesday.

Orange County last week officially entered the least-restrictive yellow tier of the reopening blueprint, which allows for greater attendance for many businesses such as movie theaters and gyms. At the same time, museums, zoos and aquariums can open at full capacity. For the first time, bars and distilleries can open indoors. Theme parks such as Disneyland can expand attendance.

The Discovery Cube of Orange County children's museum reopened on Friday. Disneyland will begin allowing out-of-state customers in mid-June and will debut its new Avengers Campus attraction next week.

City News Service, Patch Editor Ashley Ludwig contributed to this report.