Orange County was removed from the state’s COVID-19 monitoring list Sunday and will now wait an additional two weeks before it can begin another phased reopening.

On Monday, August 24, the Orange County Health Care Agency reported 343 new cases of COVID-19, with zero deaths. There are currently 388 COVID-19 patients hospitalized, with 116 in the ICU, within the county.

Irvine reported a single case of COVID-19 on Sunday, August 23, bringing the city’s total to 1,386. Orange County has reported 45,954 cases of COVID-19.

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Here is today's COVID-19 update from the Orange County Health Care Agency. 🔹 1 case was reported in Irvine 🔹 153 cases were reported in Orange County 🔹 1 death was reported in Orange County, bringing the total to 897 🔹 37,452 cases are estimated to have recovered Additional details are available at occovid19.ochealthinfo.com/coronavirus-in-oc. Orange County has been taken off the State's Monitoring List. Let's keep up the good work by continuing to: 🙅 Practice social distancing 😷 Wear face coverings ✋ Wash your hands with soap for 20+ seconds 🚫 Avoid touching your face Additional information and resources 🔗 cityofirvine.org/covid19 🔗 covid19.ca.gov . . . #coronavirus #covid19 #covidupdate #irvine #cityofirvine

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Under California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s July 17 order, local health officers now have the power to grant waivers for schools to reopen for in person education.

The county will now wait for further guidance regarding in-person education at schools. In July, the Irvine Unified School District presented its educational models for in-person education, which includes a mix of online and in-person activities, with face masks and social distancing.

Orange County now joins Calavaeras, Mono, Napa and Sierra counties, which have also been removed from California COVID-19 monitoring list.

In a press conference on Monday, August 24, Newsom said there has been a decline of the number of counties on the state monitoring list. The list, which included 42 counties last week, now stands at 35.

Despite counties coming off California’s COVID-19 monitoring list, the state reported 18 new deaths on Monday.

Newsom said there was a 20 percent decline in hospitalizations across the state, over a 14-day period, but he cautioned the positive news, reminding Californians that the data provided after a weekend has a history of being slightly inaccurate, and urged people to pay attention to the average.

“We are seeing a decline in the total number of counties on the monitoring list,” he said. “Monday’s reporting is always lower than it actually is, because the reporting delays over the weekend — it’s never as accurate as it could be. Look at the averages — 128 individuals over a 14-day period losing their lives to COVID-19. Don’t be mislead by the 18 number that came out today.”

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