SANTA ANA (CNS) - Orange County is reporting 11 new COVID-19 infections, as hospitalizations continued to decline.
Hospitalizations dropped from 72 on Tuesday to 66 on Wednesday, with the number of intensive care unit patients declining from nine to eight.
The new infections increased the cumulative caseload to 255,081.
One more fatality, which occurred April 2, was logged, raising the cumulative death toll to 5,055 and bringing the number of deaths last month to 41.
The death toll for May stands at five. The death tolls for March and February are 181 and 581, respectively. The death toll peaked in January at 1,545. The second-deadliest month was December, with 936 fatalities.
Another 8,830 COVID-19 tests were reported Wednesday, bringing the county's total to 3,887,939.
According to the weekly state data released every Tuesday, the average for the county's daily case rate per 100,000 residents dropped from 1.5 to 1.3. The overall test positivity rate improved from 0.9% to 0.8%, and the county's Health Equity Quartile rate, which measures positivity in hot spots in disadvantaged communities, declined from 0.9% to 0.7%.
The county public health officer, Dr. Clayton Chau, who also is director of the Orange County Health Care Agency, said the county has administered more than 3 million doses of vaccines. At least 1.6 million people have received one dose and 1.3 million are fully vaccinated, Chau said.
There are about 360,000 who are awaiting a second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, Chau said. Since residents 12 and older can now get a shot, there are 2.7 million residents eligible for a vaccine, Chau said.
Chau said anyone who has recovered from COVID-19 is still recommended to get a shot because studies show that vaccinated people have six times more antibodies.
The county is aiming to do 30 mobile vaccination clinics as the mass vaccination sites are shut down, he said.
“We're reaching the point where people will get the vaccine if we make it more convenient,'' Chau said Tuesday.
Orange County last Wednesday officially entered the least-restrictive yellow tier of the reopening blueprint, which allows for greater attendance for many businesses such as movie theaters and gyms, while museums, zoos and aquariums can open at full capacity. For the first time, bars and distilleries can open indoors. Theme parks such as Disneyland can expand attendance.
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