Orange County coronavirus hospital admissions reach another high point

A tent outside the emergency room of the Fountain Valley Regional Hospital & Medical Center is used to screen people for coronavirus symptoms before allowing them inside the hospital on April 2.

By Hillary DavisStaff Writer

May 12, 2020 3:50 PM PT

Hospitalizations for COVID-19 reached a new high in Orange County Tuesday with 230 inpatients, according to the county Health Care Agency.

Of those, 100 were in intensive care. Both measures top single-day high points set on Friday, when area hospitals saw 218 inpatients and 87 people in intensive care with COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

Even with the bump, however, area hospitals were at 59% capacity, according to county data — within the tight 56 to 60% overall capacity range that Orange County hospitals have reported over the past two weeks.

The health agency also announced one additional death Tuesday related to the virus, along with 62 new cases and 399 additional tests. This brings Orange County to 77 total deaths, 3,602 total known infections and 54,769 cumulative tests given.

COVID-19 continues to be the most consequential for elderly people. Forty of the 77 deaths to date were patients older than 75, according to healthcare agency data. Another 13 were between 65 and 74.

These age groups, however, comprise much smaller portions of the total patient pool: only 10% of all known cases were in people over 75. Another 10% were in people aged 65 to 74.

Testing opportunities backed by the healthcare agency also continued to expand this week, as the OC COVID-19 Testing Network added sites in Fullerton, Tustin, Buena Park, Costa Mesa, Mission Viejo and Newport Beach, plus another in Santa Ana. The network debuted April 21 and also has clinics in Anaheim, Huntington Beach, Garden Grove and at UCI Health locations. Tests are by appointment only for people with symptoms of what could be COVID-19.

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