Orange County hospitals continue to hang on as COVID-19 patient count climbs to record 2,251

By Sara CardineStaff Writer

Jan. 7, 2021 6:01 PM PT

Nearly 14 days after the Christmas holiday — when Orange County health officials anticipated an untold number of residents would participate in gatherings despite a regional stay-at-home order — hospitalizations for COVID-19 continue to climb.

Orange County health officials on Thursday recorded 2,701 new cases of coronavirus and 29 deaths, bringing the countywide cumulative case count to 177,733 and pushing the fatality rate to 1,972.

Area hospitals reported treating 2,251 individuals for COVID-19, 22.3% of which — or 502 individuals — were being cared for in intensive care units, according to the Orange County Health Care Agency.

The county’s seven-day average of new cases stands at 67.8 per 100,000 residents. Another 31,915 tests were issued Thursday, bringing the cumulative number of tests issued to 2,179,658 and accounting for a seven-day average testing positivity rate of 17.1%.

On Wednesday, former Orange County Supervisor Michelle Steel, sworn into office Sunday in the U.S. House of Representatives, announced she has tested positive for the coronavirus, according to a statement.

“At the advice of the Attending Physician, and to protect the health of my colleagues, I will be quarantining,” Steel said in the statement.

Meanwhile, the OCHA has rolled out a plan outlining the order in which county workers and residents will be able to receive the coronavirus vaccine. Health officials explain the county is currently vaccinating those designated as belonging to a multi-tiered “Phase 1A.”

Professions in that category include acute care, psychiatric and correctional facility hospital workers, those employed by skilled nursing and assisted living facilities along with paramedics, emergency medical technicians and Orange County law enforcement who work in COVID-19 hotspots and places where known outbreaks have occurred.