While data released early this week indicated a sharp drop in the number of reported cases of COVID-19 in Orange County, experts say it is too early to tell if there is a long-term trend in the lower numbers.
According to the Orange County Health Care Agency, only 9 new cases were reported on Monday and 23 on Tuesday, down significantly from the average numbers ranging from 50 to 100 cases per day in previous weeks.Locally, there are 32 confirmed cases now in the city of Cypress, 12 confirmed cases in the city of La Palma and for the first time, Los Alamitos was reported Tuesday with 5 confirmed cases.
Data from the OC Health Care Agency also suggests that, thus far, the virus is claiming the lives of people with Asian ethnicity in greater numbers, and while there are significantly more cases reportedly in the 45-64 age group, the largest percentage to succumb to the disease is over 65.
Thus far, Orange County has reported 1,299 cases of COVID-19 and 19 people have died as a result of the disease. Currently, as of Tuesday, there were 122 patients hospitalized, including 62 of them in Intensive Care units.
By gender, case incidence and deaths from the disease were exactly the same. Of the cases, 53 percent were men and 43 percent women, and deaths were reported by the agency in exactly the same gender proportion.
By age, 39% of the cases were in the 45-64 age group, followed by 19% in the over 65 group, 17% in the 25-34 age group, 15% in the 25-34 age group and only 2 percent from 0-17 years old.
By death, however, the percentages are different. The data suggests 58% of those who have died from COVID-19 were over 65, followed by 26 percent in the 45-64 age group, 11% in the 25-34 age group, 5% in the 34-44 age group and none of the patients from 0-24 have died.
By ethnicity, 40 percent of cases are “unknown,” while 25% are White, 18% Hispanic or Latino, 9% Asian, 5 percent other and 1% each Black or African American and American Indian/Alaska Native.
The Orange County Health Care Agency reported that deaths thus far from the virus has been 42% Asian, 26% Hispanic or Latino, 21% White, 5% other and 5% Black or African American.
