Coronavirus pandemic: Orange County sets record with 1,422 new COVID-19 cases

SANTA ANA, Calif. (CNS) – Orange County on Monday reported a record daily number of new coronavirus cases as well as an increase in hospitalizations, which worried local officials about how to get the message out to the public for discourage vacation meetings and other fraternizations.

The county reported 1,422 COVID-19 diagnoses, bringing the cumulative total of cases to 71,116. But the county reported no new deaths, leaving the death toll at 1,554.

The latest diagnoses have not all been made since Sunday, but are spread over several days. The largest total of previous cases this month came on November 16, when 935 positive cases were recorded. The worst day-long total so far during the pandemic was July 7, when 1,060 cases were recorded.

The number of county residents hospitalized with the coronavirus rose from 380 on Sunday to 428 on Monday, with the number of intensive care patients rising from 91 to 105, according to the Orange County Health Care Agency.

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The change in the three-day average of inpatients fell from 24.6% to 26.4%. The county has 25% of its intensive care unit beds and 66% of its ventilators.

The worst day in hospital to date was July 14, when 722 people were hospitalized for COVID-19. The last time she was as high as she is now was in mid-August.

“It sounds horrible,” said Frank Kim, CEO of Orange County, of the most recent statistics. “I was afraid to see a lot like that. ”

But it’s a trend across Southern California, Kim noted.

“We saw San Bernardino County with a number (of cases) of two thousand,” Kim said. “It’s really, really bad in Southern California. I just don’t think people take this seriously enough. It is not a judgment. I don’t know how you get people to take it more seriously. ”