Orange County Coronavirus Cases Stand at 464
Orange County Coronavirus Cases Stand at 464
by Contributing Editor
Orange County health officials reported 37 more coronavirus cases Monday, bringing the total number to 464, but no new deaths were reported, leaving the county’s total at four.
Two new cases were reported in Orange County’s jails, increasing the total to five, Sheriff Don Barnes said.
About 130 inmates have been released early since Friday in an attempt to reduce the spread of the coronavirus in the jails. The inmate count was 4,580 on Friday and 4,451 on Monday, Barnes said.
“It’s the lowest it’s been in well over a decade,” Barnes said of the jail population.
Forty-three of the inmates released were designated at risk because of their age or health, and the rest had 10 days or less to go on their sentences.
Barnes said he would go up to 60 days left on a sentence to consider for early release if more beds are needed in the jails.
The jail population has been reduced by 838 inmates since March 1, Barnes said.
Nine inmates are in “medical isolation” because they have symptoms associated with COVID-19, Barnes said. He said 149 are in “medical quarantine” because they came into contact with others who tested positive.
Plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit alleging a variety of issues in Orange County’s jails filed a motion in federal court on Monday seeking to have more inmates released.
“Plaintiffs request an order to release prisoners: those serving sentences for misdemeanors, or awaiting trial for misdemeanors, those held for probation of parole violations or for immigration, those with remaining actual custody time to release of less than six months, all these held on non-violent charges, and all other pretrial detainees who can post $10,000 bond,” the motion reads.
“In addition no person should be brought into the jail on a warrant, that is all outstanding warrants should be recalled, subject to re-issue, as appropriate, individually if needed.”
As of Monday, 5,522 people had been tested for COVID-19 in the county.
Of the total confirmed cases, 57% are men, 38% are between the ages of 45 and 64, 17% are between 35 and 44, 17% are between 25 and 34, 10% are between 18 and 24, and 18% are over 65. One person is a child whose gender and age were not specified.
Officials with Anaheim, which has the most cases in Orange County at 42, released a statement Sunday cautioning the public that the cases “don’t necessarily represent new spread of the virus in our community but rather detection of existing cases with more testing.”
“That is actually a good thing,” according to the statement. “Patients will be treated and isolated and they recover.”
Newport Beach has 41 cases.
Officials have said they have shifted policy on cities with populations of less than 25,000, such as Laguna Beach, and began releasing statistics on those cities.
Laguna Beach has 22 cases, La Palma six while Villa Park, Laguna Woods and Los Alamitos did not have a number of cases listed. Officials say figures for those cities will not be released until they record five or more cases.
Twenty-eight new diagnoses were reported by 1 p.m. Sunday. Eighty-five new cases were recorded on Saturday, and 70 on Friday.
County Health Officer Dr. Nichole Quick said the county is “still far from meeting the need” for personal protection equipment for first responders and healthcare professionals.
Quick discouraged visiting senior citizens, who are most at risk from coronavirus, in retirement communities and nursing homes in the county.
She said the constant of news about the virus may be heightening anxiety, so she encouraged anyone who needs it to call the county’s mental health hotline for help at 833-426-6411.
Orange County Public Health Director David Souleles said there are enough hospital beds to handle patients because elective surgeries have been rescheduled, but that could change when an expected surge of patients happens.
The state may use the Orange County Fairgrounds and the recently closed Fairview Developmental Center to house patients, officials in Costa Mesa said.
Last month, Costa Mesa officials vigorously resisted a plan to house COVID-19 patients from a cruise ship at the developmental center.
Orange County CEO Frank Kim said the closing of parking lots for parks and beaches significantly reduced the congregating at parks and beaches this weekend compared with the previous weekend.
In Laguna Beach, a shutdown of beaches there had a substantial impact on dissuading crowds, Laguna Beach Police Department Sgt. Jim Cota said.
“We were actually really happy. It was the complete opposite from last weekend,” Cota said. “There was a dramatic — in capital letters — from last week to this weekend.”
>> Want to read more stories like this? Get our Free Daily Newsletters Here!
All credit goes to Contributing Editor
Originally published on https://mynewsla.com
