OC Reports 13 Additional Deaths, 710 New Coronavirus Cases
SANTA ANA (CBSLA) — Orange County health officials reported 13 additional coronavirus deaths and 710 new cases Friday.
The countywide totals now stand at 556 deaths and 33,358 cases.
Of the deaths reported, two were skilled nursing facility residents and two were assisted living facility residents. Of the total death toll, 247 were skilled nursing facility residents and 19 were assisted living facility residents.
The number of hospitalized patients dropped from 690 Thursday to 652, and the number of patients in intensive care dipped from 233 to 215, according to the Orange County Health Care Agency.
In the county's jails, 454 inmates had tested positive for COVID-19, with 411 having recovered and 43 in medical isolation being treated for symptoms. The county is awaiting the results of 92 tests.
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County officials said 384,692 coronavirus tests have been administered during the pandemic and 18,007 recoveries have been documented.
Orange County is on the state's watch list for counties experiencing high rates of new cases and hospitalizations. It has shown some improvement, but with some continuing concerns.
The county's case rate per 100,000 residents jumped from 220.8 to 233.3, which is far higher than the California Department of Public Health threshold of 25 per 100,000 residents. The rate of residents testing positive for COVID-19 ticked up from 12.6% to 12.7%, higher than the state's desired rate of 8%.
Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do has started a campaign to encourage residents to use face coverings. The campaign, #MaskUpOC, will focus on using social media to promote face coverings as a way to stem the spread of coronavirus.
Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered all school campuses to remain closed when the academic year begins in counties on the state's monitoring list due to spiking coronavirus cases -- including Orange, Los Angeles, San Diego and Riverside counties.
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)
