As the highly transmissible COVID-19 delta variant continues to circulate in Orange County, the city of Irvine has announced it will soon require all city employees to show proof they have received the COVID-19 vaccine.

Announced in a Monday, August 2 release, in addition to following guidance issued by the California Department of Public Health regarding face coverings in indoor spaces, the city of Irvine will follow other Orange County cities and begin requiring all city employees to get vaccinated.

With more than 75% of the city of Irvine’s staff having already received the COVID-19 vaccine, Irvine Mayor Farrah Khan said she has confidence that additional safety measures will help protect more individuals.

“I am grateful to our city staff for their ongoing efforts to combat COVID-19, and I want to thank the 75% of employees who have already been vaccinated,” Khan said. “The additional measures we are implementing, based on recent data, will further protect the health and well-being of our employees and everyone in our community.”

On Monday, August 9, the Orange County Health Agency reported 2 new COVID-19 deaths, with 2,181 new COVID-19 cases, according to data collected between Saturday, August 7 and Sunday, August 8.

Currently, as of August 9, there are 453 people hospitalized in Orange County, including 84 being treated inside the county’s intensive care units.

Earlier this week, the state of California announced it would require all health care employees to be vaccinated by September 30.

Prior to the announcement, the state initially released guidance that would allow healthcare workers to opt out of the vaccine by showing a negative test. However, the new mandatory vaccine requirement will no longer honor the option for testing only.

In Orange County, the HCA reports that as of Aug. 2, 1,922,696 residents are now fully vaccinated on both single and multi-dose platforms.

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