Coronavirus: Orange County Reports 229 New Cases, The Biggest Daily Spike Since Pandemic Began
SANTA ANA (CBSLA) — Orange County health officials reported 229 new coronavirus cases Thursday, the county's biggest spike since the pandemic began.
The county's total now stands at 3,968 while the death toll remained unchanged at 80.
Members of the Board of Supervisors stressed there was no evidence linking the increase in cases to the re-opening of beaches.
According to officials, many of the 229 new cases are in nursing homes and jails.
"It doesn't appear that the increase in numbers is in the general public, probably in a congregated setting as we said. Now with that said, the number doesn't mean we have a surge, it just means that the disease continues to spread," said Director of Orange County Health Care Agency Director Clayton Chau.
Authorities pointed out that Orange County's numbers are promising in comparison to neighboring counties like Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Diego.
The number of hospitalized patients increased dropped from 248 on Wednesday to 227 on Thursday, and patients in intensive care falling from 98 to 79.
"What really matters, in terms of flattening the curve and making sure that we are keeping Orange County healthy, are the numbers of hospitalizations, in particular, ICU's and deaths. Those numbers are relatively flat, in this case, there were no deaths reported today, so declining to a certain extent," said Orange County Supervisor Don Wagner.
Currently, 61,619 people have been tested for the virus with 1,510 tests reported Thursday.
Of the county's total cases, three percent involve people under 18 years old; 10 percent are between 18-24; 18 percent are between 25-34; 15 percent are between 35-44; 17 percent are between 45-54; 16 percent are between 55-64; 10 percent are between 65-74; seven percent are between 75-84, and four percent are 85 and older.
Of the patients who died, three percent were 25 to 34 years old, five percent were 35 to 44, 10 percent were 45 to 54, 14 percent were 55-64, 16 percent were 65 to 74, 28 percent were 75 to 84, and 25 percent were 85 or older. Of the deaths, 39 percent were Latino, 33 percent were white, 19 percent were Asian, four percent were black, one percent were Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, one percent were said to be of mixed ethnicity, three percent were categorized as "other," and one percent remained unknown.
Orange County is continuing to open new testing sites prioritizing people with symptoms, health care workers, and first responders.
Those without insurance are being offered tests for free.
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)