The city of Irvine reported six new COVID-19 cases over the weekend, and one on Monday, bringing the city case total up to 198. Orange County reported an additional 213 cases on Monday June 1, increasing the total number of cases to 6,474 countywide, according to the Orange County Health Agency. 

As of June 1, the county has reported 147 deaths. Of those deaths, 41 percent have been female and 59 percent have been male. In terms of age groups, the virus’ mortality rate in Orange County appears to be highest in people over the age of 85, with 29 percent of the county’s deaths occurring in that age group, which could signify that skilled nursing facilities are still dealing with heightened risk.

OC Health Care Agency

However, it seems that the county’s skilled nursing facilities have stockpiled enough personal protective equipment to meet demands. A report from the Orange County Emergency Medical Services indicates that the county’s skilled nursing facilities are equipped with at least two weeks worth of critical PPE equipment, which includes N95 masks, gloves and alcohol-based sanitizer. 

Orange County Emergency Medical Services Medical Health Operational Area Coordination (MHOAC)

The county’s hospitalization rate also continues to fluctuate. As of June 1, there were 240 COVID-19 patients hospitalized, with 97 in the ICU. The county experienced its highest number of hospitalizations on May 26, with 274 with 101 in the ICU. Since May 1, Orange County has seen an increase of nearly 4,000 cases, as California surpasses 110,000 cases statewide.

Data from the Orange County Health Agency shows a steady daily increase of testing with a total of 132,071 as of Monday, June 1.

Last week, the Irvine City Council voted unanimously to cancel a $95,000 citywide COVID-19 testing program, due to test inaccuracy. Irvine Mayor Christina Shea wrote a memo to staff on May 29, urging the council to reconsider the contract with US Health Fairs. 

“We’re not going to be providing any kind of testing for our residents that is not to a standard that we would expect,” she said during the May 26 City Council meeting. “I’m very sad that we’re not having this drive through testing right now because it is very important to all of us. We thought it would be a great advantage for our residents, but it’s much better to be safe than sorry.”

The council’s decision to cancel the US Health Fairs contract was based on a new interpretation of an FDA rule, which prohibits these non-FDA approved tests to be performed outside of a laboratory setting. The rule change was brought to the attention of the county by County Health Officer Dr. Nichole Quick.

Currently Buena Park, Orange, Santa Ana and San Juan Capistrano are the four testing sites accepting appointments for antigen testing in Orange County. Each site is open Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Appointments can be made and location details confirmed, by visiting https://lhi.care/covidtesting, or by calling 1 (888) 634-1123. Please note that phone registration will only be used for people without internet access. 

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