The Votes Are In!
2024 Readers' Choice is back, bigger and better than ever!
View Winners → Health Aug 19, 2022
| Photo courtesy of geralt/Pixabay
by
share with
The number of COVID-19-positive patients in Orange County hospitals trended down as positivity rates remained relatively stable, but 29 more deaths were logged, according to data released Friday by the Orange County Health Care Agency.
From Monday through Thursday, the number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 glided down from 314 to 271, while the number of patients in intensive care dropped from 44 to 36.
The county’s testing positivity rate remained at 14.8% Thursday, the same as Monday, and dropped from 18.3% to 17.5% in the health equity quartile, which measures the communities hardest hit by the pandemic.
“So, we’re sort of treading water,” Andrew Noymer, an epidemiologist and UC Irvine professor of population health and disease prevention, told City News Service Tuesday.
Officials cannot determine how many of the hospitalized patients were admitted directly for COVID-19 or tested positive while being treated for another ailment.
But from July 1-31, 146 patients admitted directly for COVID-19 were designated as incompletely vaccinated or unvaccinated. Another 39 received the primary series of shots, and 57 received booster shots. From Aug. 1 through Aug. 6, nine of 10 patients were incompletely vaccinated or unvaccinated, and one was vaccinated and boosted.
According to the county, 70.9% of hospital patients are incompletely vaccinated or totally unvaccinated. The percentage in intensive care is 71.7%.
The county has 21.5% of its ICU beds available. Officials become concerned if that level falls below 20%.
The county’s daily case rate per 100,000 people decreased from 23.5 to 22.2 on a seven-day average with a seven-day lag, and from 22.6 to 22.1 for the adjusted rate, also with a seven-day average and seven-day lag.
The county logged 2,076 more infections from Monday to Thursday, raising the cumulative case count to 653,562. The county logged 29 more fatalities, raising the overall death toll to 7,303.
Of the fatalities logged since Monday, 18 happened this month, raising the August death toll to 20. Eleven of the fatalities occurred last month, raising July’s death toll to 109. The last month the county had more than 100 deaths was in February when 347 died.
The OCHCA provides regular COVID updates on Tuesdays and Fridays.
The case rate per 100,000 people for fully vaccinated residents who have received a vaccine booster went from 26.2 on Aug. 7 to 21.9 on Aug. 14, the latest data available show. The case rate for residents fully vaccinated with no booster went from 16.8 to 13.1, and from 30.4 to 24.4 for residents not fully vaccinated.
The number of vaccinations administered in Orange County increased from 2,339,462 to 2,341,615, according to data released Tuesday. The county has also logged 207,109 residents who received one of two shots of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.
Booster shots increased from 1,365,594 to 1,369,242.
In the most recently authorized age of 4 and younger, the number of fully vaccinated residents increased from 1,462 to 2,114 versus 184,635 unvaccinated. The number of children 4 and younger who have received at least one dose is at 8,427.
In the age group of 5-11 years old, only about 36% are vaccinated. But 40% have received at least one dose.
By contrast, in the 12-17 age group, 70% are vaccinated and 30% are unvaccinated.
