With holidays fast approaching, Orange County breaks COVID-19 records once more

New coronavirus infections and COVID-19 hospitalizations in Orange County Saturday hit all-time high benchmarks yet again, as another 3,445 individuals tested positive for the virus, while area hospitals reported treating 1,601 individuals, with 361 in intensive care units.

A total of 119,822 infections have so far been logged by the Orange County Health Care Agency, which on Saturday reported another 26 deaths, pushing the fatality rate to 1,760.

Among the new cases, 46% — or 1,588 infections — occurred among people under age 35. With many schools and colleges out for winter break, health officials are urging residents not to gather with those outside their households during the holidays and have attributed the current spike to a post-Thanksgiving surge.

Still, state and county guidelines are allowing retailers to operate at 20% capacity and, on Saturday, while crowds at Costa Mesa’s South Coast Plaza on the last weekend before Christmas were a fraction of the typical holiday season, masked shoppers continued to make purchases and line up outside storefronts.

Holiday shoppers walk across the Bridge of Gardens at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa on Saturday.

(Kevin Chang / Staff Photographer)

Orange County’s hospitalization rate reflects a 12.9% rise in the three-day average. Area ICUs continue to report having no available beds specifically for COVID-19 patients. Meanwhile, the county’s seven-day average of new cases stands at 42.7 per 100,000 residents, while the average health equity quartile positivity rate is at 18.8%.

Another 21,203 tests were issued countywide Saturday, bringing the cumulative number of tests issued to 1,831,645 and accounting for a seven-day average testing positivity rate of 13.2%.

Here are the latest cumulative coronavirus case counts and COVID-19 deaths for select cities in Orange County:

• Santa Ana: 23,656 cases; 354 deaths
• Anaheim: 20,289 cases; 378 deaths
• Huntington Beach: 4,843 cases; 94 deaths
• Costa Mesa: 3,905 cases; 50 deaths
• Irvine: 4,377 cases; 20 deaths
• Newport Beach: 1,851 cases; 28 deaths
• Fountain Valley: 1,499 cases; 25 deaths
• Laguna Beach: 419 cases; fewer than five deaths

Here are the case counts by age group, followed by deaths:

• 0 to 17: 11,003 cases; one death
• 18 to 24: 17,168 cases; five deaths
• 25 to 34: 25,103 cases; 25 deaths
• 35 to 44: 18,945 cases; 42 deaths
• 45 to 54: 19,353 cases; 130 deaths
• 55 to 64: 14,531 cases; 241 deaths
• 65 to 74: 7,326 cases; 347 deaths
• 75 to 84: 3,723 cases; 387 deaths
• 85 and older: 2,605 cases; 582 deaths
  

Holiday shoppers on their smartphones as they wait in line for the LEGO Store at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa on Saturday.

(Kevin Chang / Staff Photographer)

Updated figures are posted daily at occovid19.ochealthinfo.com/coronavirus-in-oc. For information on getting tested, visit occovid19.ochealthinfo.com/covid-19-testing.

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