COVID-19 hospitalizations remain high in Orange County, with nearly 500 patients in intensive care units

Hospitalizations due to COVID-19 are holding steady as 2020 comes to an end, with 2,128 patients in area hospitals, 495 of whom are in intensive care units.

Coronavirus cases are down Thursday, but Orange County Health Care Agency officials said in a memo the reported number is as a result of a delay in reports on Wednesday. The county did not update its case counts until about 4:35 p.m. that day because of issues with the state’s electronic reporting system, officials said. As a result, the case count Wednesday — 4,514 — captured data for 30 hours instead of 24.

Health Officials reported 610 new cases on Thursday and one new death of a resident not currently living in a long-term care facility.

About 89,228 patients are estimated to have recovered.

Currently, the testing positivity rate in Orange County is at 16.9% — more than five times the 3.2% reported at the start of November.

Intensive care unit capacities remain at 0%, and only 40% of ventilators are available at hospitals in the region.

The county said Thursday it would not update its case counts on Jan. 1 and 3 due to the New Year’s Day holiday and scheduled maintenance with the California Department of Public Health. Updates will be posted on Jan. 2, reflecting data from Jan. 1.

Regular updates will resume on Monday, Jan. 4.

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

• Santa Ana: 29,814 cases; 372 deaths
• Anaheim: 26,681 cases; 402 deaths
• Huntington Beach: 6,257 cases; 101 deaths
• Costa Mesa: 5,088 cases; 54 deaths
• Irvine: 5,752 cases; 22 deaths
• Newport Beach: 2,282 cases; 28 deaths
• Fountain Valley: 1,984 cases; 31 deaths
• Laguna Beach: 505 cases; fewer than five deaths

Here are the case counts by age group, followed by deaths:

• 0 to 17: 14,873 cases; one death
• 18 to 24: 22,041 cases; five deaths
• 25 to 34: 32,472 cases; 26 deaths
• 35 to 44: 24,842 cases; 44 deaths
• 45 to 54: 25,413 cases; 141 deaths
• 55 to 64: 19,462 cases; 256 deaths
• 65 to 74: 9,752 cases; 366 deaths
• 75 to 84: 4,854 cases; 416 deaths
• 85 and older: 3,382 cases; 620 deaths

Updated figures are posted daily at occovid19.ochealthinfo.com/coronavirus-in-oc. For information on getting tested, visit occovid19.ochealthinfo.com/covid-19-testing.

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