Orange County maintains promising figures at Day 2 off the state’s coronavirus watch list

Orange County’s hospitalizations for COVID-19 stayed under 400 Monday as the county entered its second day off the state watch list.

The county had 388 hospitalized patients as of Sunday, with 116 in intensive care, according to the Orange County Health Care Agency. Hospital figures are posted on a one-day delay.

Orange County’s COVID-19 hospitalizations dropped below 400 on Thursday, the lowest they had been in two months. Local hospitalizations last peaked in mid-July, with 722 admitted for COVID-19 treatment on July 14.

But hospitalizations have been on a steady decline since, and like the other metrics required to exit the watch list — such as intensive care and ventilator capacity, testing positivity and case rates — are staying well below the threshold. As of Monday, that meant a 5.4% testing positivity rate; a case rate of 85.1 per 100,000; a change in the three-day average of hospitalized patients of -4.6%; and ICU bed availability of 32%, according to the county.

The state thresholds for these are 8%; 100 per 100,000; 10% and at least 20%, respectively.

The California Department of Public Health dropped Orange County from its watch list on Sunday, putting it in company with seven other counties including San Diego and Santa Cruz and refreshing discussions on how to safely reopen more schools, among other services in limbo during the pandemic.

In addition, the county had 353 new coronavirus cases Monday, bringing the total to 46,307. The county reported no related deaths, keeping the total at 897. An estimated 37,907 have recovered.

Here are the latest cumulative case counts and deaths for select cities:

• Santa Ana: 9,010 cases; 222 deaths
• Anaheim: 7,927 cases; 204 deaths
• Huntington Beach: 2,067 cases; 57 deaths
• Costa Mesa: 1,556 cases; 17 deaths
• Irvine: 1,397 cases; 12 deaths
• Newport Beach: 996 cases; 18 deaths
• Fountain Valley: 448 cases; nine deaths
• Laguna Beach: 167 cases; fewer than five deaths

And here are case counts followed by deaths, by age group:

• 0 to 17: 3,128; one
• 18 to 24: 6,871; three
• 25 to 34: 10,126; 13
• 35 to 44: 7,469; 26
• 45 to 54: 7,528; 74
• 55 to 64: 5,595; 125
• 65 to 74: 2,754; 181
• 75 to 84: 1,569; 198
• 85 and older: 1,235; 276

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