Orange County reports 6 new deaths due to COVID-19

Moviegoers wearing masks grab snacks at the just reopened Cinemark Century Cinema in Huntington Beach on Friday.

By Andrew TurnerStaff Writer

Sept. 16, 2020 5:12 PM PT

The Orange County Health Care Agency reported six coronavirus-related deaths on Wednesday, pushing the county’s death toll to 1,111.

New numbers released by the county also included 135 infections of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, which brings the cumulative case count to 51,259.

There are 202 patients hospitalized as a result of the virus, and 67 of those patients are currently in intensive care units.

An additional 6,054 tests were reported within the last day, taking the total number of tests administered to 755,781. The healthcare agency estimates that 45,900 people have made a recovery after battling the virus.

Throughout the pandemic, the virus has proven to be particularly dangerous for the elderly, as 806 county residents who have died due to COVID-19 were at least 65 years of age. That accounts for 72.5% of the county’s fatalities.

The county advanced into the second, red tier in the state’s four-tier, color-coded system for reopening on Sept. 8. Counties must remain in a tier for a minimum of three weeks before they can progress further.

In the red tier, classified as “substantial transmission,” counties must maintain rates between four and seven new daily cases per 100,000 residents and a testing positivity percentage between 5% and 8%.

The thresholds for the third tier are one to 3.9 new daily cases per 100,000 residents and a testing positivity rate of 2% to 4.9%.

Currently, the county has an average of 4.7 new daily cases per 100,000 residents and the testing positivity rate is 3.9%. Those are seven-day averages with a seven-day lag.