Orange County tops 1,400 deaths related to COVID-19

The total number of COVID-19-related deaths in Orange County broke 1,400 on Friday, according to numbers reported by the Orange County Health Care Agency.

The agency reported 10 new deaths on Friday, with seven of those being individuals in skilled nursing facilities and two in assisted living facilities. One was a resident not living in a facility. Also reported were 151 new cases, bringing the cumulative total numbers of cases — drawn from PCR tests — to 56,587. This does not include positive antigen tests, which are now at 1,767.

There are 170 cases currently hospitalized, with 66 being in intensive care units. About 50,632 are estimated to have recovered.

The county is currently still in the red, “substantial” transmission tier, where it has remained since Sept. 8.

On Thursday, county health officer Dr. Clayton Chau advised residents to celebrate the coming holidays safely during a news conference. This aligns with state officials who, on Tuesday, advised against trick-or-treating but stopped short of prohibiting the activity this Halloween, which falls on a Saturday this year.

California

Californians shouldn’t trick-or-treat this Halloween, state health officials say

Officials recommend that residents skip going door-to-door but stop short of prohibiting it.

Oct. 13, 2020

The state also released guidelines on Oct. 9, ahead of the holidays, that prohibit gatherings among more than three households and urges residents who choose to socialize with other families do so in a consistent group to reduce the risk of transmission.

Two women wearing masks head down the boardwalk near the Huntington Beach Pier on Friday.

(Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

“As we step into this holiday season, we will have the potential to impact our movement along the tier system if we don’t celebrate safely as possible,” Chau said.

The county currently has a daily positive case rate per 100,000 of 4.6. Officials reported that the current testing positivity rate is 3.5%. To advance to the next tier, the county will need to have its daily positive case rate drop between 1 to 3.9 cases for every 100,000 and maintain its testing positivity between 2% to 4.9% for two weeks.

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

• Santa Ana: 10,878 cases; 303 deaths
• Anaheim: 9,670 cases; 304 deaths
• Huntington Beach: 2,493 cases; 81 deaths
• Costa Mesa: 1,927 cases; 41 deaths
• Irvine: 1,780 cases; 13 deaths
• Newport Beach: 1,187 cases; 26 deaths
• Fountain Valley: 533 cases; 19 deaths
• Laguna Beach: 237 cases; fewer than five deaths

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

• 0 to 17: 4,116 cases; one death
• 18 to 24: 8,538 cases; four deaths
• 25 to 34: 12,118 cases; 20 deaths
• 35 to 44: 9,010 cases; 38 deaths
• 45 to 54: 9,155 cases; 111 deaths
• 55 to 64: 6,772 cases; 199 deaths
• 65 to 74: 3,394 cases; 275 deaths
• 75 to 84: 1,917 cases; 305 deaths
• 85 and older: 1,519 cases; 448 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.

Support our coverage by becoming a digital subscriber.