O.C. reports only 9 additional coronavirus cases, the lowest in a day in nearly a month

Known cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus in Orange County increased by only nine on Monday, the lowest number since March 17, the county Health Care Agency said.

Over the weekend, the case count grew by 85 on Saturday and 57 on Sunday, with two new deaths reported.

After Monday’s update, countywide cases now sit at 1,283 infections and 19 deaths, the Health Care Agency said. The cumulative case count comes from 14,175 tests.

Daily changes are preliminary and have varied widely over the past month. But Monday’s nine additional cases made for the lowest day-to-day increase since seven were announced March 17, before the state issued its stay-at-home order.

“It’s important to note that one day does not make a trend, and we must monitor case counts over time for a more complete picture,” the health agency said in social media posts.

“A one-day low case count does not signal a trend,” county health officer Dr. Nichole Quick added in a follow-up statement. “Daily case counts are something we monitor over time to determine whether a pattern develops. It’s important that we continue to adhere to the governor’s stay-at-home order.”

Los Angeles County, meanwhile, also reported a dip in its day-to-day increases Monday, with 239 additional cases, the lowest increase since March 26.

Among Orange County’s 19 deaths, 11 — or about 58% — were senior citizens older than 65, the age group considered to be most at risk. The two most recent deaths were reported Saturday and Sunday.

The health agency also said that 103 people were hospitalized with the virus Monday, 51 of them in intensive care.

Here are the latest case counts for select cities, with their numbers per 10,000 residents:

• Anaheim: 148 (4.1 cases per 10,000 residents)
• Santa Ana: 114 (3.4 cases per 10,000 residents)
• Irvine: 100 (3.6 cases per 10,000 residents)
• Huntington Beach: 87 (4.3 cases per 10,000 residents)
• Newport Beach: 85 (9.7 cases per 10,000 residents)
• Laguna Beach: 37 (15.8 cases per 10,000 residents)
• Costa Mesa: 26 (2.2 cases per 10,000 residents)
• Fountain Valley: 20 (3.5 cases per 10,000 residents)

Updated figures are posted daily at occovid19.ochealthinfo.com/coronavirus-in-oc.

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