San Clemente man tests positive for U.K. COVID-19 strain

The first case of the U.K. strain of COVID-19 arrived in Orange County late January, said Orange County health officials on Monday.

Officials said that a 21-year-old man from San Clemente, whose name is being withheld, tested positive on Jan. 26 and that symptoms have been “resolved,” according to a memo sent to the Board of Supervisors by Dr. Clayton Chau, director of the Orange County Health Care Agency and acting county health officer. Chau said the man had no history of international travel and is not part of a larger outbreak.

The first Californian case of what is called the B.1.1.7 variant was first identified in San Diego. San Diego County officials said there are at least 109 cases and 44 others linked epidemiologically.

Nationally, Florida has seen the most cases of the variant — at least 147 — followed by California, with at least 113.

Chau said the state department of public health notified Orange County officials over the weekend about the case and that current contact tracing indicates that the man recently visited Big Bear.

Dr. Matthew Zahn, the medical director of the communicable disease control division and deputy county health officer, said in an email that staff are working on the case. To date, there are no additional cases identified that are associated with the U.K. variant.

“It is likely that there are other cases in [Orange County] that have not been identified,” Zahn said in the email. “We are able to share that this was not a case of serious illness, the case reported no international travel history, which means there are likely more cases in OC, and this case is not related to a community outbreak.”

On Monday, Orange County reported 942 new cases of COVID-19. It also reported 25 new deaths. Of these, three were skilled nursing facility residents; three were assisted living facility residents and 19 were residents not living in a facility. This brings the total number of fatalities related to the coronavirus countywide to 3,383.

About 1,046 cases are hospitalized and 331 of those cases are in intensive care units in area hospitals.

An estimated 201,372 have recovered to-date.

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

• Santa Ana: 43,047 cases; 595 deaths
• Anaheim: 39,888 cases; 621 deaths
• Huntington Beach: 9,813 cases; 160 deaths
• Costa Mesa: 8,388 cases; 94 deaths
• Irvine: 9,687 cases; 58 deaths
• Newport Beach: 3,443 cases; 57 deaths
• Fountain Valley: 3,241 cases; 55 deaths
• Laguna Beach: 765 cases; fewer than five deaths

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

• 0 to 17: 24,591 cases; one death
• 18 to 24: 33,101 cases; six deaths
• 25 to 34: 47,925 cases; 37 deaths
• 35 to 44: 37,405 cases; 75 deaths
• 45 to 54: 38,400 cases; 221 deaths
• 55 to 64: 30,077 cases; 449 deaths
• 65 to 74: 14,971 cases; 651 deaths
• 75 to 84: 7,515 cases; 811 deaths
• 85 and older: 5,068 cases; 1,132 deaths

Updated figures are posted daily at occovid19.ochealthinfo.com/coronavirus-in-oc. Information on COVID-19 vaccines in Orange County can be found at occovid19.ochealthinfo.com/covid-19-vaccine-resources.

City News Service contributed to this report.

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