Orange County reports 25 new deaths due to COVID-19

The Orange County Health Care Agency reported 25 deaths due to COVID-19 and an additional 702 positive tests in its latest numbers released on Saturday.

Totals have reached 494 related deaths and 29,011 confirmed cases of the coronavirus countywide. The virus has claimed the lives of 232 skilled nursing facility residents and two people who were experiencing homelessness.

Confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the county have been found most frequently among those between the ages of 25 and 34. That age bracket accounts for 23% of the county’s cases.

Those ages 45-54 make up 16.4% of cases, 35-44 are at 16.2%, 18-24 account for 14.8%, and people between 55 and 64 make up 12% of cases.

The coronavirus has proven to be particularly dangerous to the elderly. Concerning the county’s death toll due to COVID-19, persons ages 65 and older have accounted for 74.3% of related fatalities.

The healthcare agency also reported 4,974 more tests administered, bringing the number of tests performed in the county to 346,071.

Hospitalizations due to the virus stood at 692 in the county as of Saturday, with 232 of those patients in an intensive care unit. An estimated 13,301 patients have recovered from a battle with COVID-19.

A spike in coronavirus cases prompted action at the state level this week. Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday ordered the closure of indoor dining facilities, bars, museums and zoos. Establishments like gyms, churches and malls also were impacted by the rollback of the state’s reopening.

On Friday, Newsom said in a news conference that schools would not be able to reopen physically until they had been off the state’s COVID-19 watch list for 14 consecutive days. There were 32 counties on that list as of Friday, including Orange County.

Masks have also been mandated for students in the third grade and above, and face coverings are strongly encouraged for students in the second grade and below.

Orange County’s most recent testing positivity rate currently stands at 13.5%.

Here are the latest cumulative case counts and deaths for select cities in Orange County:

• Santa Ana: 5,419 cases; 128 deaths
• Anaheim: 4,967 cases; 123 deaths
• Huntington Beach: 1,417 cases; 43 deaths
• Irvine: 950 cases; eight deaths
• Costa Mesa: 914 cases; five deaths
• Newport Beach: 689 cases; three deaths
• Fountain Valley: 293 cases; eight deaths
• Laguna Beach: 108 cases; fewer than five deaths

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