OC Surpasses 50K Reported COVID-19 Cases, Hospitalizations Continue To Decline
SANTA ANA (CBSLA) — The Orange County Health Care Agency reported 194 newly confirmed coronavirus cases and nine additional deaths Wednesday, bringing countywide totals to 50,190 cases and 1,065 deaths.
Of the newly reported deaths, five were residents of skilled nursing facilities. In total, 399 skilled nursing residents and 74 assisted living residents have died after contracting COVID-19.
Hospitalizations in the county dropped from 242 on Tuesday to 234, while the number of intensive care unit patients decreased from 70 to 62. The county's 7-day average positivity rate was 4.2% — within the bounds needed to move down to the orange tier — though the daily case count per 100,000 people was 5.2 — outside of the range allowed for the orange tier.
The OCHCA has reported 710,708 tests have been conducted, including 6,853 reported Wednesday. Of those testing positive, 44,220 have recovered from the illness.
On Tuesday, Dr. Clayton Chau, the county's chief health officer and director of OCHCA, issued a new order detailing the businesses allowed to reopen under the county's newly-minted red tier status.
And, on Wednesday, the Santa Ana Zoo announced it had reopened to the public — though amusement rides and other "high-touch areas" will remain closed — and the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana announced it would reopen this weekend with a continuance of its Walt Disney exhibit.
In order to move to the orange tier, the county will have to report between 1 and 3.9 new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents per day and hold a positivity rate between 2-4.9% for a minimum of two consecutive weeks.
But, even with the overall positive trends, schools that have not had waivers approved will have to wait until at least Sept. 22 to begin offering on-campus instruction.
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)
