Orange County coronavirus hospital admissions reach another high point - Los Angeles Times
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Orange County coronavirus hospital admissions reach another high point

A tent outside the emergency room of the Fountain Valley Regional Hospital & Medical Center is used to screen people for coronavirus symptoms before allowing them inside the hospital on April 2.
A tent outside the emergency room of the Fountain Valley Regional Hospital & Medical Center is used to screen people for coronavirus symptoms before allowing them inside the hospital on April 2.
(Scott Smeltzer / Staff Photographer)
By Hillary DavisStaff Writer 
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Hospitalizations for COVID-19 reached a new high in Orange County Tuesday with 230 inpatients, according to the county Health Care Agency.

Of those, 100 were in intensive care. Both measures top single-day high points set on Friday, when area hospitals saw 218 inpatients and 87 people in intensive care with COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

Even with the bump, however, area hospitals were at 59% capacity, according to county data — within the tight 56 to 60% overall capacity range that Orange County hospitals have reported over the past two weeks.

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The health agency also announced one additional death Tuesday related to the virus, along with 62 new cases and 399 additional tests. This brings Orange County to 77 total deaths, 3,602 total known infections and 54,769 cumulative tests given.

NEWPORT BEACH, CA -- MONDAY, MAY 4, 2020: Beach-goers spread out across the beach while enjoying a nice day at the beach despite Gov. Gavin Newsom's hard closure, which is still in place in Newport Beach, CA, on May 4, 2020. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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COVID-19 cases continue to climb in Orange County — but don’t blame the beaches, officials say

There are a number of reasons why Orange County continues to see new coronavirus infections, but there’s no evidence that the throngs of people who flocked to the region’s famed shoreline weeks ago have contributed to the caseload, officials said Monday.

COVID-19 continues to be the most consequential for elderly people. Forty of the 77 deaths to date were patients older than 75, according to healthcare agency data. Another 13 were between 65 and 74.

These age groups, however, comprise much smaller portions of the total patient pool: only 10% of all known cases were in people over 75. Another 10% were in people aged 65 to 74.

Testing opportunities backed by the healthcare agency also continued to expand this week, as the OC COVID-19 Testing Network added sites in Fullerton, Tustin, Buena Park, Costa Mesa, Mission Viejo and Newport Beach, plus another in Santa Ana. The network debuted April 21 and also has clinics in Anaheim, Huntington Beach, Garden Grove and at UCI Health locations. Tests are by appointment only for people with symptoms of what could be COVID-19.

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

  • Santa Ana: 570 (16.9 cases per 10,000 residents)
  • Anaheim: 545 (15.2 cases per 10,000 residents)
  • Huntington Beach: 270 (13.3 cases per 10,000 residents)
  • Irvine: 143 (5.1 cases per 10,000 residents)
  • Newport Beach: 132 (15.1 cases per 10,000 residents)
  • Costa Mesa: 51 (4.4 cases per 10,000 residents)
  • Laguna Beach: 41 (17.6 cases per 10,000 residents)
  • Fountain Valley: 41 (7.2 cases per 10,000 residents)

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

For information on getting tested, visit occovid19.ochealthinfo.com/covid-19-testing-and-screening.

SEAL BEACH, CA -- FRIDAY, MAY 8, 2020: Empoyee Moy Ramirez, left, places flowers on display as Christina Dagle, right, and her daughter Eleanor Eades, 4, of Seal Beach, buy flowers for a friend from Devynn's Garden in Seal Beach, CA, on May 8, 2020. Some businesses are reopening under a relaxation of the state's stay at home order. Bookstores, music stores, toy stores, florists, sporting goods retailers, clothing stores and others can reopen for pickup and curbside service. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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Hillary Davis

Hillary Davis covered the city of Newport Beach for the Daily Pilot until she left in August 2020. She joined the Pilot in February 2017 after spending 10 years reporting for newspapers across Arizona, where she was a six-time finalist for the Arizona Press Club’s Community Journalist of the Year. She earned a master’s degree in mass communication from Arizona State University and a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Arizona.

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