Confirmed coronavirus infections in Orange County have soared by 60% over the last two days, health officials said.
The COVID-19 case count hit 152 on Tuesday — up from 125 on Monday and 95 the day before that, according to the Orange County Health Care Agency. Although cases have been rising steadily, no deaths have been reported.
Most of the patients — 87 — are between the ages of 18 and 49. The number of men who have tested positive in the county, 89, continues to outpace the number of women, 63.
Countywide, 2,159 people have been tested so far.
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As the number of cases continues to climb, county officials have taken additional steps aimed at curbing the disease’s spread. On Tuesday, county leaders announced they would close parking lots at trails, beaches and parks to prevent people from gathering there.
The county also has unveiled additional outreach tools recently — including phone hotlines and a text-alert system — to provide residents with updates regarding the ongoing pandemic.
Amid the arrival of new resources, however, the county Health Care Agency has also announced a departure — its director, Richard Sanchez, who has been appointed interim chief executive of CalOptima.
He will join CalOptima, a county-organized health system that serves those with disabilities or who are low income, in April. The county plans to appoint an interim director to replace him at the Health Care Agency.
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“Richard Sanchez has been an exemplary director at HCA,” County Executive Officer Frank Kim said in a statement. “His leadership to his colleagues at HCA and in the entire county family will be greatly missed. It’s an incredible opportunity for Richard and I greatly look forward to working with him in his new role at CalOptima.”
