Saturday, June 20, 2020

OC: huge jump in cases reported

Go here.

Meanwhile, testing (in OC) is way down:

The solid orange line represents the average number of tests over the past seven (7) days.
What's going on here?
It ain't good.


Voice of OC
     Orange County’s enforcement of the new state-mandated coronavirus mask order is unclear, as the virus continues to spread, especially in OC’s two biggest cities, Anaheim and Santa Ana. 
     On Thursday, Gov. Gavin Newsom rolled out a mandatory mask order for the entire state – fresh on the heels of a tense debate among Orange County supervisors about walking back local mask orders.
. . .
     [County Health Care Agency Director and interim Health Officer, Dr. Clayton] Chau … stood by the effectiveness of the masks at a Thursday press conference and addressed the anti-mask group that has been showing up at the Supervisors meetings to rail against masks during public comments. 
. . .
     “I believe in what science says.” [he said]
     Sheriff Don Barnes previously said he wouldn’t enforce the mask order as Orange County had its own order briefly, issued abruptly just before Memorial Day weekend by former Health Officer Dr. Nichole Quick late last month as restaurants and shopping malls began reopening. 
     “We are not the mask police nor do I intend to be the mask police,” Barnes told Supervisors at the May 26 meeting. 
. . .
     [OC Health Officer Dr. Nichole] Quick faced a wave of pushback from County Supervisors and residents following her [mask] order. She abruptly resigned June 8, following threats from residents and at least one protest in front of her house. 
     Chau, a psychiatrist by training who heads up the OC Health Care Agency and was appointed as Acting Public Health Director by supervisors after Quick resigned, quickly walked the order back on June 11 despite his support for the science behind masking. 
     Supervisor Michelle Steel, who’s publicly questioned the science behind masks, announced earlier this week that Orange County’s virus numbers are better than neighboring counties. 
. . .
     Steel’s comments have turned out to be off the mark. 
     …R]ecent death and hospitalization rates in Orange County are actually worse than three out of the four neighboring counties.
     In recent days, OC consistently has seen higher hospitalization and death rates than San Bernardino, San Diego and Riverside counties. Orange County’s rates continue to climb faster than the surrounding counties.
. . .
     OC’s two largest cities, Anaheim and Santa Ana, continue to be hit hardest by the virus.
. . .
     “These two cities keep me up at night,” said Chau earlier this week at the press conference in response to Voice of OC questions about Anaheim and Santa Ana. “We have started the conversation with a group of community based organizations, with the city councils, with the school districts,” Chau said. “We just about two weeks ago started the conversation. We’re going to drill down into the number.” 
. . .
     And he expressed concern that the virus is hitting Latino and Black communities harder than other groups….

Roy's obituary in LA Times and Register: "we were lucky to have you while we did"

  This ran in the Sunday December 24, 2023 edition of the Los Angeles Times and the Orange County Register : July 14, 1955 - November 20, 2...