By Karen Phan
The Orange County Health Care Agency (OC HCA) has shifted its focus from COVID-19 containment to mitigation, its COVID-19 website says.
Containment is no longer an effective strategy for navigating the COVID-19 situation because there is “epidemiological evidence” of community transmission since early March. An OC HCA report on March 26 found that 75 of 250 COVID-19 cases were community-acquired.
COVID-19 is a highly contagious disease that primarily spreads through close contact and when an infected person coughs or sneezes. At this point, it is unclear if a person can be infected if they touch a surface that has the virus on it. The elderly and those with underlying medical conditions are at high-risk for experiencing severe illness from COVID-19.
As of the time of publication, there are 464 COVID-19 cases in and 4 deaths in Orange County. OC HCA states 5,522 out of over 3 million Orange County residents have been tested for COVID-19. Irvine has reported 43 COVID-19 cases, with Anaheim trailing at 42 cases, Newport Beach at 41 cases, Huntington Beach at 33 cases and Fountain Valley at 7 cases. An interactive map of COVID-19 cases in Orange County can be found here.
OC HCA is working with numerous health agencies such as the California Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to develop and promote preventative actions to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Along with following California Governor Gavin Newsom’s stay at home order and the county’s local health officer’s order, OC HCA advises residents to practice good hygiene and infection control, such as coughing into your elbow, washing your hands and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces such as doorknobs and phones.
The CDC and OC HCA do not recommend that healthy people wear face masks to protect themselves. Instead, those who are infected should wear face masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Face masks are also needed by doctors and nurses so that they can stay safe while treating patients.
OC HCA states that those who are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, such as fever, tiredness and dry cough, should self-isolate until their symptoms improve and until they are fever-free for at least 72 hours. Self-isolation should be at least seven days.
If your symptoms get worse and you are experiencing emergency warning signs for COVID-19, which include trouble breathing and persistent pain or pressure on your chest, you should seek medical attention. Call your doctor, inform them of your symptoms and follow their instructions.
Information and case count of COVID-19 in Orange County can be found at www.occovid19.ochealthinfo.com/coronavirus-in-oc.
Information and case count of COVID-19 in California can be found at www.latimes.com/projects/california-coronavirus-cases-tracking-outbreak/
Information and case count of COVID-19 in the United States can be found at www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-in-us.html.
Information on what to do when you’re sick or think you’re sick with COVID-19 can be found at www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/steps-when-sick.html.
Information on local, state and federal action on COVID-19 can be found at www.baronnews.com/2020/03/20/local-state-fed-covid19-action/.
