OC Confirms Four More COVID-19 Deaths, Inches Closer to Orange Tier – NBC Southern California

Orange County reported 227 new situations of COVID-19 and four extra deaths Saturday, bringing the county’s totals to 51,873 situations and 1,127 fatalities.

Hospitalizations within the county inched up from 201 Friday to 202, with the selection of intensive care unit sufferers rising from 64 to 65, in step with the Orange County Health Care Company.

Now not undoubtedly one of many four fatalities reported Saturday turned into a resident of a talented-nursing or assisted-dwelling facility. For the reason that pandemic started, 423 educated-nursing facility residents and 77 assisted-dwelling facility residents bear succumbed to the coronavirus.

The OCHCA reported that 786,298 COVID-19 tests were conducted, at the side of 8,844 reported Saturday. There were 46,598 documented recoveries.

The county’s on a conventional foundation case count per 100,000 other folks fell from 5.2 final week to 4.7, and the seven-day rate of residents testing clear for the coronavirus dropped from 4.2% final week to 3.9%.

To transfer up from the second-most restrictive crimson tier to the orange tier within the state’s four-tier monitoring system, the county must bear a on a conventional foundation new case rate per 100,000 of 1 to 3.9 and a positivity rate of 2 to 4.9%.

Orange County turned into upgraded from the most restrictive crimson tier to the crimson tier final week. The transfer allowed for churches, theaters and other corporations to resume indoor operations, nonetheless with strict limits on capacity and other well being measures in situation.

Theaters, eating locations and churches are restricted to 25% capacity or 100 other folks, whichever is much less. Museums, zoos and aquariums also were allowed to reopen indoor activities at 25% capacity. Having a stare centers got the fairway gentle to develop bigger from 25% capacity to half-capacity under the crimson tier, while gyms were allowed to reopen at 10% capacity.

All colleges will be allowed to reopen for in-class instruction by Tuesday, OCHCA Director Dr. Clayton Chau acknowledged. Up to now, the county has permitted 140 elementary colleges for reopening by the state’s waiver course of, he acknowledged.

The return to in-person instruction will occur in phases, Chau instructed newshounds Thursday. Some college districts will remain on distance studying, and some will slide reopenings, he acknowledged.

Due to of the coronavirus pandemic, all districts started the college 365 days with students studying completely online.

On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors permitted a thought to location up pressure-by flu vaccine clinics in every of the county’s five districts to assist stave off a potential “twindemic” of the flu and COVID-19 this topple, along with a thought to develop bigger testing to attain residents who are of Asian-Pacific Islander, Middle Jap and North African heritage.

“The Latino neighborhood remains the best hot state within the county, nonetheless the following perfect is the API neighborhood apart from Middle Jap and North African,” Supervisor Andrew Attain acknowledged. “This shows the board might maybe maybe be very proactive in attempting to address potential hot spots.”

Officials in Orange County cities that are dwelling to substantial venues equivalent to theme parks appealed to the state this week for guidance on reopenings so that they’ll better prepare. The state shutdown present of March 14 affected Disneyland, the Anaheim Convention Center, the Honda Center and Angel Stadium in Anaheim and Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park.

Gov. Gavin Newsom acknowledged Wednesday that the state plans to develop bulletins “rapidly” referring to to reopening pointers for theme parks.