Evan J. LancasterOver the last month, Irvine COVID-19 cases have increased by more than 600, jumping from 242 reported on June 16 — to 907, reported on July 16.
The latest month-to-month increase is nearly double the number of cumulative cases reported city-wide in June.
Dr. Boden-Albala, Founding Dean of Public Health at UC Irvine, explained that Orange County is beginning to see exponential spread during Irvine’s most recent COVID-19 update.
“We are really increasing now, again, on that exponential line,” Boden-Albala said. “There was this diminished time and then — up, up, up. I’m very concerned about this.”
To be specific, Boden-Albala added that in March, the positivity rate was around 4 percent, with signs that Orange County began to flatten the curve.
“The rate of people getting tested who are positive has gone from about 4 percent — that’s what we were seeing in March and April — to almost 8 percent now,” she said.
While Irvine leaders championed their success of becoming the first city in Orange County to offer free COVID-19 testing to the public, the program became ‘fully booked‘ shortly after opening. Some residents expressed frustration regarding the inability to make an appointment.
Councilmember Melissa Fox reassured the community that registration would reopen once the first batch of appointments is processed.
“I wish that we could provide 10 times more testing than we have, particularly given how fast it has booked up,” Fox said during the July 14 City Council meeting. “I really appreciate that we’re looking forward to an expansion of this program as fast as possible.”
Regional data provided by the OC Health Agency list Irvine COVID-19 cases by ZIP code.
Map of Orange County COVID-19 demographics.
92602: 90 cases
92603: 66 cases
92604: 94 cases
92606: 90 cases
92612: 108 cases
92614: 122 cases
As of July 13, California Governor Gavin Newsom ordered the reclousure of fitness centers and churches, along with hair salons and barber shops across the state to help slow the spread of COVID-19. On July 16, the California Department of Public Health reported a total of 356,178 COVID-19 cases statewide.
Irvine Chief of Police Mike Hamel presented statistics on Irvine’s COVD-19 testing. Hamel said Irvine had tested approximately 400 residents at Irvine’s public testing site at the Orange County Great Park.
Hamel also mentioned that Irvine’s per-capita rate is the lowest in comparison to Orange County’s largest cities — Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa, Lake Forest, Mission Viejo, Newport Beach, Santa Ana and Tustin.
“As of July 12, we have 794 known cases, which is approximately 2.83 cases per 1,000 residents, which is in fact the lowest per-capita rate for the cities shown here,” Hamel explained.
Updates From OCHA
On Thursday, July 16, the Orange County Health Agency reported 873 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the county total up to 27,855. Comparatively, one month ago, on June 16, Orange County reported a cumulative total of 11,580 COVID-19 cases.
In other words, Orange County’s total number of COVID-19 cases has also doubled within the last month.
During an Orange County Health Care Agency Press Conference on July 16, acting County Health Officer Clayton Chau commented on the recent action by the Orange County Board Of Education to adopt a white paper that would allow students to return to school without face masks or social distancing.
Chau explained that regardless of the differing opinions from state and local agencies, schools should reopen on a case by case basis.
“It is important to note that Supervisor Wagner and I were invited to speak on the panel, but that we did not write, edit or even review the white paper that the Orange County Board of Education brought forward,” he said. “I particularly believe that the Orange County Board of Education should follow the same procedures and guidelines in determining the best way to safely reopen schools.”
On Tuesday, July 14, the Irvine Unified School District Board of Education voted to require face masks on campus at all times, for students, staff and visitors. The district issued a statement clarifying that it would “not follow” the OC Board of Education’s recommendations adopted in the now controversial white paper.
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