What to Know
- Orange County has reported 23,901 coronavirus cases and 421 fatalities.
- Infections in the 17 to 24 and 24 to 34 age groups have climbed rapidly, health experts say.
- Six of the nine deaths reported Saturday were residents of skilled nursing facilities.
Orange County reported 1,251 new cases of COVID-19 and nine more deaths Saturday, bringing the county's totals to 23,901 cases and 421 fatalities.
The county's recent rise in infections was expected as officials relaxed restrictions on economic activity, Orange County CEO Frank Kim said earlier this week, while noting there has been a significant rise in infections in young adults.
“One of the interesting or concerning dynamics we've seen in the positivity rate over the last several weeks is we've seen this rise in new infections in the younger population, 17 to 24 and 24 to 34,'' Kim said.
Infections in those age groups has raced upward recently, Kim said.
They are not necessarily requiring hospitalization at the same rate as older groups, he said, “but, obviously, they have parents and uncles out in the community,'' who are also getting sick.
U.S. & World
Six of the nine deaths reported Saturday were residents of skilled nursing facilities and three were people who did not live in a care facility, according to the Orange County Health Care Agency.
Of the county's total cases, 1,315 are residents of skilled nursing facilities, 422 are jail inmates, and 119 are people experiencing homelessness, officials said.
Of the county's total coronavirus deaths, 212 were residents of skilled nursing facilities, 15 were residents of assisted-living facilities, and two were homeless.
The number of hospitalized patients dropped from 672 Friday to 671, but the number of patients in intensive care rose from 227 to 231.
The county has reported 303,201 coronavirus tests to date, with 9,982 documented recoveries.
