As of Wednesday, 513,825 Orange County residents have received their COVID-19 booster vaccine, according to data gathered by the Orange County Health Care Agency.
That’s up about 35% from last week.
Meanwhile, daily positive cases in the region have declined about 71% from a previous high of 308 seen three weeks ago.
On Nov. 29, the World Health Organization designated a new COVID-19 strain – B.1.1.529, or the Omicron — as a “variant of concern.”
While the Omicron variant is reported to have originated from South Africa, or even Europe, the CDC reported three cases of the Omicron in the U.S. this week. The first reported case was identified in California.
“Although we are still learning about this new variant, it’s important to understand that new versions of the virus will continue to emerge as long as there are large proportions of people who are unvaccinated,” Deputy County Health Officer Dr. Regina Chinsio-Kwong said in a statement released by the OCHCA.
On Dec, 1, 169 Orange County residents were reported being hospitalized with COVID-19-related complications – a 9% decrease from one week ago.
According to Dr. Chinsio-Kwong, 90% of people hospitalized due to COVID-19 are unvaccinated.
