Orange County reports record-high 1,025 COVID-19 hospitalizations

A line of patients wraps around a parking lot sidewalk

By Andrew TurnerStaff Writer

Dec. 10, 2020 6:24 PM PT

Orange County saw its hospitalizations due to the coronavirus hit a record high on Thursday, as that number reached 1,025 patients in the latest data released by the county.

From that number, there are 257 patients countywide being treated in intensive care units.

The availability of ICU beds by region was the baseline by which state officials decided when to implement the most recent stay-at-home order. Regions that fall below 15% ICU capacity availability face a minimum stay-at-home period of three weeks. Southern California had the order take effect on Dec. 7.

Orange County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Michelle Steel spoke out against the stay-at-home order and in favor of local control in a press conference Thursday. She said that many county residents are frustrated with a “top-down” approach to addressing the pandemic with restrictions being based on criteria that have continued to change.

“These moves haven’t stopped the spread of the virus but have severely harmed families’ ability to make a living, crippled business owners, and forced too many to the unemployment lines,” Steel said.

“These arbitrary actions are confusing and lead families to question the capabilities of our state officials at a time when people must have confidence in their elected representatives to make smart, informed decisions.”

When asked about the surge in cases and businesses not complying with the new state order, Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes reiterated that he would seek to educate versus enforce the latest shutdown order, adding, “I do not see that as a local law enforcement responsibility.

“I do believe it’s a community issue, that we should all collectively engage in best practices and do everything we can to stop the spread of the virus,” Barnes said. “But criminalizing already stressful conditions within the community I don’t think is something that I want to add to.”

The Orange County Health Care Agency reported seven deaths due to COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, in Thursday’s data. There have been 1,640 deaths attributed to the virus countywide.

An additional 1,521 cases were also recorded, bringing the total during the pandemic to 94,647.

The county logged 22,064 tests for the virus within the last day, bringing the total number of tests administered to 1,627,697. An estimated 64,054 people in the county have recovered after contracting the virus.

Orange County Health Care Agency Director and Public Health Officer Dr. Clayton Chau implored the public to avoid gathering or traveling to help prevent the spread of the virus.

“I’m begging you, do not gather,” Chau said. “Do not mix households. The transmission is really high in the community right now, so if you don’t live with somebody … do not hang out with them please.”

With the anticipation of the arrival of the first doses of a vaccine in the county, Barnes issued a warning to be on the lookout for fraudulent activity.

“We already know that there are with all good things that come, like the vaccine, bad actors try to take advantage of it,” Barnes said. “I want to stress in no circumstance will anybody be texting, emailing, calling or selling the vaccine to the public.

“If anybody is contacted by any source trying to solicit them to purchase or log in or give personal information about the vaccine, that is fraudulent activity.”

Here are the latest cumulative coronavirus case counts and COVID-19 deaths for select cities in Orange County: