OC COVID-19 Hospitalizations Fall Below 200, Case Rates Continue Downward Trend
SANTA ANA (CBSLA) — Orange County reached a milestone Wednesday when the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations dropped below 200.
The number of people hospitalized dropped from 216 on Tuesday to 199 on Wednesday. The number of people in intensive care units dropped from 62 to 54.
"It's definitely good news," Orange County CEO Frank Kim said. "And our current running weekly number indicate our case rate is in the orange tier as well."
The county's case rate as of Wednesday was 3.8 per 100,000 residents, although that doesn't automatically propel the county into the orange tier. Moving to the orange tier won't happen until April 7 if the current trends continue unless the state approves an earlier date.
Meanwhile, Wednesday, the Orange County Health Care Agency reported 163 new cases of COVID-19 and 25 additional deaths.
The numbers brought the county's caseload to 249,067 and the cumulative death toll to 4,511.
Kim said he was a "little nervous" about another surge such as the one being reported in Europe.
"The goal is to get these vaccines done and that's it," Kim said.
Lines are appearing at some local pharmacies as vaccines are ramped up at drug store chains. County staff has estimated that the big drug store chains are vaccinating about 100 people a day in each location, Kim said.
As of Wednesday, the county has inoculated about 1 million people, a little less than one-third of its population.
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)