Owners of private businesses in Orange County will maintain the choice to ask for proof of COVID-19 vaccine as a requirement for individuals to enter. However, according to Orange County Deputy Health Officer Dr. Regina Chinsio-Kwong, it is unlikely the county will mandate businesses to do so.

The number of COVID-19 hospitalizations in Orange County increased by 34 between August 10 and August 11. In total, the Orange County Health Agency reported 495 people currently hospitalized. Of the 495, Kwong said 96 were in the intensive care unit, followed by nine pediatric COVID-19 cases. 

Kwong said the majority of the COVID-19 hospitalizations that the county is currently processing are individuals who have not been fully vaccinated.

“It’s hovering around 90% of COVID-19 patients are unvaccinated,” she said.     

As cases rise in Orange County, presenting proof of a COVID-19 vaccination as a requirement to enter businesses has become a topic of discussion, as Los Angeles City Council recently voted in favor of adopting policies that would support vaccine verification. 

Said verification would require individuals to show proof that they have  received a full COVID-19 vaccination to enter businesses like gyms and restaurants.   

Speaking to media during an afternoon news conference on Wednesday, August 11, Kwong said that outside the mandates issued to the public sector by the California Department of Health —  health care workers, city employees, and now teachers and school staff — she does not anticipate Orange County finding the need to require businesses to seek that information in order for patrons to enter. 

“This will be up to the business, I know there’s businesses that are already required to — health care facilities, congregate living facilities and schools — but in terms of the private sector, and businesses that are not part of those categories, it’s still up to the businesses to decide if they’re going to verify vaccination,” Kwong explained to Irvine Weekly. “We’re still seeing a very slight rise. What we’ve seen in the past is as our case rates went up, hospitalizations were delayed by about a week or two, so this was expected.”

Kwong added that the increase in hospitalizations are troubling because it takes space away from individuals who need care for non-COVID-19 related issues. 

Wednesday’s news conference was hosted by Second District Supervisor Katrina Foley, who has been working to provide daily COVID-19 updates, as the Board of Supervisors has recently stopped addressing the COVID-19 situation in Orange County.

In somewhat silence, the Board of Supervisors has ceased COVID-19 case updates, which have been presented by County Health Officer Dr. Clayton Chau in the past.

While no public mention was made of the omission of COVID-19 updates, the move came just weeks after hundreds of public speakers came to address the Board of Supervisors with anti-vaccine rhetoric, and conspiracy theories regarding COVID-19 during several consecutive meetings. 

On Tuesday, August 10, the Board of Supervisors approved $8 million for a Vaccine Equity Engagement Program. The program, aimed at targeting the county’s areas with the lowest vaccination rates, was given a $4 million boost on Tuesday.

The $8 million will create a team of volunteers to go door-to-door to encourage the unvaccinated to get vaccinated, and will even walk the individuals to the mobile vaccination clinics. Volunteers will earn $20 an hour.

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