Orange County is returning to possibly the most restrictive purple color after the jump of COVID-19 cases, says county CEO – IBC

Orange County reported 528 new cases of COVID-19 and two additional deaths on Saturday, causing a total of 64,586 cases and 1,524 fatalities in the county.

Officials said 598 cases were filed on Friday in recent cases – making it certain that the county would knock on the most restrictive purple tier of the state’s economic-reopening roadmap.

OC CEO Frank Kim said on Friday, “It’s not a record, but it holds a lot of bows – we’ll probably be purple for two consecutive weeks. The ship has sailed.”

According to the Orange County Health Care Agency, with 90 people in intensive care, the number of county residents hospitalized with the virus decreased from 244 to 235 on Friday.

Both of Saturday’s fatalities were residents of skilled-nursing homes.

The change in the three-day average of hospitalized patients increased from 17.3% to 8.5%. The county has 30% of its intensive care unit beds and 65% of its ventilators available.

According to OCHCA data, 1,242,434 COVID-19 trials have been conducted since the onset of the epidemic, including 12,871 reports. 56,154 documents have been recovered.

The county’s positivity rate, which is reported every Tuesday, actually decreased from 3.6% to 3.3% this week, and the daily rate per 100,000 population decreased from 6 to 5.6.

The county’s health equity quartile positivity rate, which measures the county’s response to virus hot spots, decreased from 5.7% to 5.5%. The county must reach at least 5.2% in that metric that will be upgraded from red tier to orange tier.

Next week, the county’s rate per 100,000 may rise to about 8, which is higher than the 4 to 7 rate in the Red Tier, Kim said.

Vice President of Orange County Supervisors Vice Chairman Andrew Doe said the county would announce plans next week to provide residents with a coronovirus test home kit to help stem the tide of COVID-19.

The county has acquired 500,000 test kits that can detect coronavirus from saliva. Du said the plans are to make them available in public libraries and city halls throughout the county.

“We want it to be at the mobile and neighborhood level, so people can see testing as part of their holiday safe practices,” he said. “Before you go to see your grandparents, two or three days before you get the test done, and after you are reunited with the family, you wait two or three days and get the test done again. Then that way when you Know whether you are going in or out. Together you are safe and the people with you are safe. “

Experts recommend a buffer of two to three days because it can take long before an infection shows a test.

“We have not yet worked through the protocol, but by next week we will have a program that will include places that are easily accessible to the public,” said Do.

The increase in cases is “alarming”, he said. “This points to a very difficult season coming in the winter, and that the couple needs to be very cautious with the holiday season.”

County officials will soon issue recommendations on best practices for get-togethers for the holidays, including dining out and keeping gatherings in fewer numbers, Doe said.

“Make it lunch where the weather is more tolerable,” he said.

Officials say the daily average of new cases will have to come down to around 130 for Orange County to make it into the orange tier, to reopen more businesses and increase their capacity for some already open. Could be allowed. But the county will have to live in 229 new daily cases to remain in the red tier.

Kim said it is growing more clearly the county will fall from red tier to violet. He said there would be no change in capacity in stores and other businesses right now.

Kim said that you have to stay for two weeks before the ban comes into force.

If the county remains in the purple color category until November 24, it means the ban will be implemented three days later. This means that restaurants can still offer indoor food for Thanksgiving and the shopping mall will have additional capacity for Black Friday shopping.

“The governor has done a good job meeting that two-week requirement,” Kim said. It expects you to have that discussion (with businesses) for a week … Hopefully, it doesn’t come, but if it does, it won’t be a surprise. “

The schools will not be closed, but there will be no new schools until they are able to obtain a variance from the county.

Businesses and institutions that are closed for indoor activities will have churches, museums, zoos, aquariums, gyms, restaurants, and movie theaters.