Orange County Reports 3,454 New COVID-19 Cases, 43 More Deaths
SANTA ANA (CBSLA) -- Orange County reported another 3,454 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday.
The cumulative case total is now 209,365 since the pandemic began.
The county also reported 43 more virus-related fatalities, raising the death toll to 2,320.
Hospitalization rates continue to decrease, dropping to 2,065. However, ICU rates are still increasing, with 542 patients currently in ICU beds.
The Southern California region is still at zero ICU availability. Orange County's adjusted daily case rate per 100,000 — which is released on Tuesdays — increased to 78.8 from 67.8 last week.
The county's seven-day positivity rate is 19.5%. Testing demand is also slowing, while the demand for vaccinations is soaring. Officials do not expect a significant drop in hospitalization rates until at least the end of January, County CEO Kim said.
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)