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In Orange County as in all of California, the number of coronavirus cases and hospitalizations from COVID-19 have been increasing for at least a month, prompting public health officials to implore everyone to resume wearing masks in public places and getting vaccinated if they have done so. not already.
On Friday, the average weekly number of COVID-19 cases per 100,000 OC residents was 15.3 and the percentage of positive tests jumped to 7.9%, more than 2 points higher than last week, said Dr. Regina Chinsio, Associate Public Health Officer of OC. -Kwong said.
With the delta variant – which health experts say is more contagious than other strains – dominating new cases of OC, some officials are particularly concerned that children could become infected and potentially become very sick.
“The rate of child hospitalizations is still low, but it is happening,” with eight children now hospitalized in Orange County, Chinsio-Kwong said, adding that last month 11 children were treated by hospitals. OC for COVID-19, “and not all of them were vaccinated.
The three vaccines used in the United States have not yet been licensed for children under 12; More than 53% of the county’s 243,000 youth aged 12 to 17 have received at least one dose of a vaccine, according to data from the OC Health Care Agency.
Chinsio-Kwong spoke at an online press conference hosted by OC District 2 Supervisor Katrina Foley, who said she plans to offer daily coronavirus updates to the public from Monday. Foley said earlier on Friday she was trying to fill a information gap because the county has not held a regular press briefing in months and the Orange County Board of Supervisors does not hear or not always discuss updates at their bi-weekly meetings.
“I think the landscape is changing so rapidly every day that we have to make sure the public stays informed,” she said.
Chinsio-Kwong said the vaccines have been shown to be very effective, especially in preventing serious illness, but some vaccinated people have always been infected – and they may have mild or no symptoms and unknowingly pass the virus on to loved ones. .
She recommended that parents, even if they are fully immunized, avoid crowded places and wear masks when going out, especially if their children have not received a vaccine or have only received one. dose.
Meanwhile, some cities in the OC are taking their own steps to curb the spread of the virus in their communities.
Irvine announced in late July that masks are now mandatory at all city facilities, and this month the city will begin requiring its employees to prove they have been vaccinated or take a COVID-19 test each. week.
With the new regulations, city leaders are following the lead of some major California cities and the state government, Irvine Mayor Farrah Khan said. Laguna Beach recently announced similar plans.
At the end of last month, Gov. Gavin Newsom said state agents should show they are vaccinated or get tested, and on Thursday the state health worker ordered all agents to get vaccinated by the end of September.
Khan said city leaders hope the policy will encourage workers to get vaccinated if they haven’t already, and help detect infections among workers before they spread. .
“We want to make sure that we protect not only them, but also the public by having them tested,” she said.
Earlier this week Anaheim City Councilor Avelino Valencia joined state and federal lawmakers and the Orange County Employees Association to host a vaccine event in a family resource center not far from Disneyland – and they went out of their way to lure people out the door.
They have vaccinated almost 100 people, said Valencia, and “we strongly believe that those 100 people would not have been vaccinated unless we walked to their doorstep and encouraged them to come back with us to the clinic. “.
A woman who lived a short walk from the center told organizers that even though she wanted to get the vaccine, she hadn’t gone earlier for fear of losing a parking space on her crowded street and ending up with a ticket, Valencia said, adding that “all these little things” can create barriers for some residents.
Valencia said Anaheim officials encourage but do not mandate vaccinations for city workers and masks for everyone at city facilities. He plans to ask his fellow councilors to have the city study the formation of its own health service, and while that may not be the best fit for Anaheim, he has said he would at least like the city creates an advisory commission on public health.
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