Fourth day off the watch list

By OC Tribune Staff on August 26, 2020 • ( Leave a comment )

CORONAVIRUS cases in Orange County on Friday hit 448 (Shutterstock).

Four days down and 11 to go. Wednesday’s report on coronavirus pandemic by the Orange County Health Care Agency showed the county off the state watch list for the fourth consecutive day.

After 15 days off the list, counties may be able to resume in-person instruction in schools, as well as have other re-openings. Final decisions on whether to re-open will rest with local school systems.

However, if the county had three consecutive days exceeding OCHCA standards, it would be back on the watch list.

On Wednesday, 448 COVID-19 cases were reported, compared to 335 on Tuesday. The to-date cumulative cases are 47,090, of which 39,129 are considered recovered.

Seven deaths were reported, down from 15 on Tuesday. The sum of OC fatalities is now 918.

Coronavirus cases currently hospitalized are at 399, with 113 in intensive care units.

Other metrics sustained the county’s status off the watch list. Test positivity, which measures how many people tested turn out to be infected with the virus, remains at 5.2 percent, well within the threshold or goal of less that 8 percent.

Also within thresholds are metrics for ICU beds available and ventilators available.

Here is a list of Orange County cities with the most cases, along with numbers from two other area cities. Deaths are in parentheses.