There are now 4742 cases of Coronavirus in Orange County, a rise of more than 55% in two weeks. 249 cases were reported on Tuesday — the highest daily number of cases so far — coming just 5 days after the previous daily record of 225 cases was set. Since March more than 86,000 COVID-19 tests have been undertaken in the County that is home to more than 3-million people. There have been 98 deaths so far.
Interestingly the age sector with the highest number of cases is the 25-34 year old range. 50% of cases within OC are aged between 25 and 54, and 18% of deaths have occurred within that age range. Men make up 54% of COVID-19 cases, and account for 59% of deaths from the virus.
The overwhelming majority of cases within OC are in the cities of Santa Ana and Anaheim. Both cities have populations over 300,000 and are the two most populous regions in the County. Santa Ana has 247 cases per 100,000 people on a per-capita basis. Anaheim has 209 cases per 100,000 people. These numbers are still significantly less than neighboring L.A. County (406 cases per 100,000 people) but much higher than other cities in O.C. Huntington Beach and Irvine are the next most populous cities in the County and have case counts of 148 and 58 per 100,000 residents respectively.
According to information provided by the OC Health Department on ethnicity, a third of COVID cases are among the Hispanic or Latino population, followed by 28% that are unknown ethnicity. The ethnicity/race of 22% of cases are listed as white, and 10% are Asian. To put that in perspective, in 2019 the US Census Bureau estimated that 34% of Orange County was Hispanic/Latino, 21% was Asian and 40% was white (not Hispanic or Latino.)
When looking at statistics relating to deaths from COVID, ethnicity is defined at a much higher rate. In fact, there were 28% of COVID cases listed as unknown ethnicity, whereas the COVID death statistics show just 1% listed as unknown ethnicity. Just under 40% of deaths are Hispanic or Latino, followed by 33% white, and 19% Asian.
These statistics tell us that COVID-19 cases are growing in OC at an alarming rate and we are yet to see peak infection. Social distancing remains imperative as we try to safely navigate through these uncertain waters. Case and death counts will continue to climb as the infection spreads through the County, notwithstanding efforts to open the local economy. We must all do our part to take care of ourselves, our loved ones, and our community.