Orange County Reports Record Number Of Coronavirus Hospitalizations, ICU Patients
SANTA ANA (CBSLA) -- Orange County on Friday set a new coronavirus record for hospitalizations and ICU patients.
There was an increase in hospitalizations from 2,251 on Thursday to 2,259 on Friday, including intensive care unit patients climbing from 502 to 514.
The county also reported 3,544 new coronavirus cases and 26 deaths, making the countywide totals 181,277 cases and 1,998 deaths.
Of the deaths reported on Friday, which all date back to December, nine were skilled nursing facility residents and three were assisted living facility residents.
Throughout the pandemic, 673 of the people who died from the virus were skilled nursing facility residents and 206 were from assisted living facilities.
Officials warn a surge is coming after expected new cases from Christmas and New Year's gatherings, which were discouraged.
"People were not behaving around the holidays, so I'm fearful the numbers will be worse,'' Kim said. "Our case rates have not come down and the testing positivity rates are climbing.''
The resources listed below can provide information about the pandemic and best practices for staying safe:
- Orange County residents with general questions can call the COVID-19 HOTLINE at 714-834-2000
- Orange County residents with medical questions can call the Health Referral Line at 800-564-8448
- Orange County Health Care Agency: https://occovid19.ochealthinfo.com/coronavirus-in-oc
- California Department of Public Health: https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/Immunization/ncov2019.aspx
- U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019- ncov/index.html Spanish https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index-sp.html
- World Health Organization (WHO): https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)
