Orange County reports 12 more deaths due to COVID-19

Orange County reported double digits in terms of COVID-19-related deaths for the third time in four days, according to the latest numbers released by the Orange County Health Care Agency on Saturday.

The new data reported 12 deaths, bringing the four-day total to 42 and cumulative deaths in the county due to the coronavirus to 130. From that number, 52 of the deaths known to be caused by the virus have involved a skilled nursing facility resident, including seven new deaths from nursing homes in the latest report.

An additional 216 known cases were also reported, the third-highest mark of any single day during the pandemic (249 new cases is the most, which was reported on Wednesday). The county has now seen 5,157 cases of the coronavirus to date.

Another 1,033 coronavirus tests have been administered, as the county closes in on a new benchmark in that category. Currently, there have been 97,470 tests performed countywide.

There were 249 hospitalizations as of Saturday, with 101 of those cases in an intensive care unit. Twenty-four of 25 eligible hospitals reported for this period. The number of cases in intensive care is a pandemic-high, just above the previous high of 100 on May 11.

In cumulative cases across the county, 18% have been between the ages of 25-34 and 45-54, respectively. The age brackets of 35-44 and 55-64 have accounted for 15% of the total apiece.

The coronavirus is known to be particularly dangerous to the elderly. Although senior citizens make up 21% of the county’s total COVID-19 cases, 75% of the deaths (97 of 130) known to be related to the virus have involved a person of at least 65 years old.

By age range, all patients who have died were:

• 85 and up: 36
• 75 to 84: 38
• 65 to 74: 23
• 55 to 64: 16
• 45 to 54: 11
• 35 to 44: 4
• 34 and younger: 2

Here are the latest case counts for select cities, with numbers per 10,000 residents:

• Santa Ana: 938 (27.8 cases per 10,000 residents)
• Anaheim: 820 (22.8 cases per 10,000 residents)
• Huntington Beach: 318 (15.6 cases per 10,000 residents)
• Irvine: 170 (6.1 cases per 10,000 residents)
• Newport Beach: 138 (15.8 cases per 10,000 residents)
• Costa Mesa: 96 (8.3 cases per 10,000 residents)
• Fountain Valley: 53 (9.4 cases per 10,000 residents)
• Laguna Beach: 44 (18.8 cases per 10,000 residents)

Updated figures are posted daily at occovid19.ochealthinfo.com/coronavirus-in-oc.

For information on getting tested at one of the nearly two dozen public clinics around the county, visit occovid19.ochealthinfo.com/covid-19-testing-and-screening.

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