Coronavirus cases reach nine in Orange County
ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. - The number of active coronavirus cases in Orange County rose to nine on Friday, and county officials said they will begin providing
daily online updates about the status of the illness locally.
Supervisor Andrew Do, who is also vice chairman of the Board of Supervisors, said six of the cases have been fully confirmed, while three other people have tested positive for the illness locally, although the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had not yet confirmed the results.
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Orange County Health Care Agency Director Richard Sanchez said his agency can only provide age ranges and genders of the patients. But the agency later issued a release providing more details, including that one person acquired the virus locally, a first for the county.
A woman in her 50s who appears to have contracted the virus locally was hospitalized in isolation and is not considered in life-threatening
condition.
Another man in his 70s is isolated at home and contracted the virus through travel-related exposure.
A man in his 30s is at home in quarantine and acquired it through his contact with another known case. Another patient is a man in his 60s, who is hospitalized in isolation and contracted it through travel-related exposure.
Eight of the cases were contracted through traveling and one was due to "person-to-person'' contact, according to the county's website.
Six are men and three are women. Four are 18 to 49 years old, three are 50 to 64 years old and two are older than 65.
The nine cases represent an increase of three from Wednesday, when only six local cases had been reported. So far, 134 people countywide have been tested for the virus. The first case was reported Jan. 25.
Do said the county will provide daily updates about COVID-19 on a website that will be updated at 5 p.m. daily. The website is www.ochealthinfo.com/novel_coronavirus.
Do said on Wednesday that the county will cancel all "nonessential county meetings and events.'' Officials are doing what they can to "allow employees who can work from home the opportunity to do so,'' Do said.
County officials will also do what they can to accommodate paid time off for workers who have to care for someone stricken with the virus, Do said, or employees who have to stay home to watch children if schools are closed.
County officials are also planning daily media briefings. Plans are being made for town halls that could be streamed online at least at
least once a week.