SANTA ANA (CNS) - Coronavirus totals in Orange County stand at 4,376 cases today with 88 fatalities after health officials reported 155 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 and two additional deaths.
As of Sunday, 201 people were hospitalized with the disease -- a drop from 235 a day earlier -- and 78 were in intensive care. A total of 70,556 people have been tested for COVID-19, according to the Orange County Health Care Agency.
Of the county's total cases, 3% involve people under 18 years old; 10% are 18-24; 18% are 25-34; 15% are 35-44; 18% are 45-54; 16% are 55-64; 10% are 65-74; 7% are 75-84; and 5% are 85 and older.
Of the patients who died, 2% were 25-34 years old, 5% were 35-44, 9% were 45-54, 13% were 55-64, 16% were 65-74, 32% were 75-84, and 24% were 85 or older.
Men make up 53% of the county's cases and 58% of its fatalities.
Latinos account for 40% of the fatalities and whites 32%, followed by Asians with 19%. According to the OCHCA, 3% were black, 1% were native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 1% are mixed race, 1% is unknown, and 2% fall into the category of “other.”
Santa Ana has the most fatalities in the county with 728, followed by Anaheim with 695 and Huntington Beach with 290.
County officials, meanwhile, announced a partnership with UC Irvine to conduct a survey to get a better handle on coronavirus-related statistics that could help with quarantine programs and easing of restrictions.
UCI researchers will use serology tests of 5,000 residents to see if they have developed antibodies as a result of infection. The aim is to better focus on at-risk populations and to understand how long immunity to COVID-19 may last.
UCI assistant professor of public health and epidemiology Daniel Parker said the effort will create a baseline of data that can be used if other surveys are done later.
“We want to get a snapshot of how many people have been exposed to it in the community,” Parker said. “It gives us how many people were asymptomatic, and to start with that's useful in itself if it's a really big number.”
Orange County so far has been “relatively lucky” when compared to other Southland counties, Parker said.
“My hunch is there will be some immunity, but it won't last forever,” he said.
To plan the next steps needed to manage the virus, officials need to know how many people have been exposed to it, Parker said.
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