Orange County Hospitalizations Down, Positive Cases Rise Slightly

ORANGE COUNTY, CA — Though hospitalizations due to coronavirus increased slightly on Wednesday, only 75 new coronavirus cases were reported in the county, officials say. Over the past year, a total of 251,516 residents have contracted the disease that has killed over 4,791 as of Wednesday.

The trends overall continue to be encouraging, Orange County CEO Frank Kim said.

"When you get such low (case) rates, a small outbreak in a school or some other place can really jostle the numbers," Kim said of any fluctuation.

Hospitalizations of COVID-19 patients in the county increased from 107 Tuesday to 114 Wednesday, with the number of intensive care unit patients climbing from 23 to 29.

The weekly update from the state, issued on Tuesdays, showed the county's test positivity rate improved from 1.7% to 1.6%, while the adjusted case rate per 100,000 people on a seven-day average with a seven-day lag increased from 2.8 last Tuesday to 3.

The county's Health Equity Quartile rate, which measures positivity in hotspots in disadvantaged communities, improved from 2.6% last week to 2.1%. So the positivity rates are in the least restrictive yellow tier of the state's four-tier system for reopening the economy, but the case counts are still in the orange tier.

The county has administered 1.8 million vaccine doses to residents, includes the partially and fully vaccinated population, Kim said. The county is testing 301.5 per 100,000 residents on a seven-day average with a seven-day lag.

Another 9,340 tests were reported Wednesday, upping the cumulative total to 3,414,289.

The manner in which residents are dealing with testing has changed.

Demands have dwindled at the county's supersites in Anaheim and Costa Mesa. Many residents are opting for mail-order tests, instead, according to Kim.

"I do believe we're going to change that model" of testing, Kim said. "By breaking it back down and getting away from the supersite concept and having smaller testing kiosks in higher-traffic areas of the county."

The health-equity positivity rate is down due to officials focusing on vaccinating everyone 16 and older in the four ZIP codes hardest hit by the pandemic in the county, Kim said.

As for the state's announcement on the tier system ending, Kim said, "I think it makes sense, but it's a little bit early for us to pass judgment on."

Kim would like to track the case counts over the next 30 days before deciding whether to continue with the system in place or not beyond June, but business owners also need time to prepare for a full reopening of the economy, too, he said.

"I think it's a little bit of a tricky balance," Kim said. "But I think most people expect that the summer is going to look good and vaccine quantities have grown."

The county received 105,000 doses of vaccine this week. Officials are working hard to prepare for a surge of vaccine seekers when it is open to everyone by mid-April, Kim said.

The county's move into the orange tier of the state's Blueprint for a Safer Economy last week allowed restrictions to be eased on a variety of business sectors.

Retail stores now do not have to limit attendance at all, and churches, movie theaters, museums, zoos, and aquariums were allowed to expand from 25% to 50% of capacity.

Restaurants were permitted to expand indoor dining to 50% and wineries to offer indoor service at 25%, while bars that don't serve food got the green light to reopen outdoors. Gyms and fitness centers were cleared to expand to 25% of capacity, and family entertainment centers can offer indoor attractions such as bowling.

Under current rules, the county's new case rate must dip below 2 per 100,000 residents to make it to the yellow tier. Still, the tier system may have an expiration date.

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Tuesday that California would end its color-coded system on June 15, when the state will lift all restrictions on businesses, gatherings, and recreational activity except for the face-covering requirement.

The date was chosen because it will be two months after vaccines will be made available to all Californians age 16 and older.

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