Orange County Reports 1,355 New Cases of COVID-19, 44 New Deaths
SANTA ANA (CBSLA) - Orange County reported 1,355 new cases of COVID-19 and 44 additional deaths Sunday, bringing the county's totals to 232,391 cases and 3,062 fatalities.
The number of coronavirus patients in county hospitals continued its downward trend, declining from 1,442 Saturday to 1,412, with the number of patients in intensive care dropping from 394 to 392.
The county's state-adjusted I.C.U. bed availability remains at zero, and the unadjusted figure decreased slightly from 9.9 percent Saturday to 9.8 percent.
The state created the adjusted metric to reflect the difference in beds available for COVID-19 patients and non-coronavirus patients. The county has 48 percent of its ventilators available.
Of the fatalities reported Sunday, three were residents of skilled nursing facilities and six were residents of assisted living facilities. Since the pandemic began, 830 residents of skilled nursing facilities have died from the virus, along with 320 residents of assisted living facilities.
The death reports are staggered because they come from a variety of sources and are not always logged immediately.
The Orange County Health Care Agency reported 16,044 tests on Sunday, for a total of 2,681,673. There have been 175,513 documented recoveries, according to the O.C.H.C.A.
The county's large-scale vaccination site at Disneyland, which was shut down Friday because of stormy weather, reopened Saturday. Vaccines were also being doled out at an indoor site at Soka University in Aliso Viejo.
Orange County C.E.O. Frank Kim said last week he was frustrated that officials don't have a long-term view of when more vaccines will arrive.
"We need an estimate two weeks out," Kim said. "That would address a lot of concerns people have. We can't schedule beyond two or three days out."
Kim said hospitals are also ramping up inoculations.
Beginning Monday, the county will offer eligible rental households up to $10,000 in financial assistance for unpaid rent and/or utility bills due to the impact of the pandemic, according to the O.C.H.C.A. More information about the program can be found here, or by calling 2-1-1.
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)
