Orange County tallies coronavirus deaths over five of last six days

Five more people died of COVID-19 in Orange County over the last three days, bringing the total to 33, the county Health Care Agency reported Monday.

The fatalities were an extension of an especially deadly spell for Orange County as the health agency reported 14 deaths over five of the last six days, a new peak period for the region. This run of coronavirus deaths tops a high-water mark set between March 31 and April 2, when nine people died.

Among the 33 people who have now died, 19 were older than 65, the age group considered to be most at risk.

The Health Care Agency also said 128 people were hospitalized with the virus Monday, 42 of them in intensive care.

While deaths have come at a more sustained rate within the past week, overall new cases have decelerated significantly in the region. With the latest update, the total of known countywide cases now stands at 1,676. That count comes from 18,766 tests.

The number of known cases doubled on average once every three days between March 13-28.

On March 13, Orange County recorded 13 cases. On the 28th, that figure had climbed to 403 — it had grown 31 times over in about two weeks. Then, the pace slowed. Another week would pass before Orange County’s coronavirus count doubled again. The next doubling time after that stretched to two weeks, completing another cycle on Saturday when the county health agency announced 1,556 cases.

Here are the latest case counts for select cities, with their numbers per 10,000 residents:

• Anaheim: 207 (5.8 cases per 10,000 residents)
• Santa Ana: 166 (4.9 cases per 10,000 residents)
• Huntington Beach: 138 (6.8 cases per 10,000 residents)
• Irvine: 118 (4.2 cases per 10,000 residents)
• Newport Beach: 89 (10.2 cases per 10,000 residents)
• Laguna Beach: 36 (15.4 cases per 10,000 residents)
• Costa Mesa: 31 (2.7 cases per 10,000 residents)
• Fountain Valley: 25 (4.4 cases per 10,000 residents)

Updated figures are posted daily at occovid19.ochealthinfo.com/coronavirus-in-oc.

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