Orange County’s adjusted coronavirus case rate decreased this week for the first time since last month.
In the county’s weekly COVID-19 tier update, the region’s case rate decreased from 6 to 5.6 daily cases per 100,000 residents, still up from 5.1 and 4.6 in the two weeks prior.
The county experienced a COVID-19 peak in July, followed by weeks of declines. That has shifted in the past month, with the county’s case rate continuing to tick back up.
OC was placed in the most restrictive purple tier on Aug. 28 when the state unveiled the new monitoring guidelines along with 37 other counties, representing 87% of California’s population.
Counties are placed in this tier if they have more than 7 new daily cases per 100,000 residents, and a testing percentage above 8%.
OC moved into the red tier on Sept. 8 after meeting the requirements, which calls for four to seven daily new cases and a positive test rate between 5% and 8%.
The moderate, or orange tier, is for counties with one to 3.9 new daily cases and a 2% to 4.9% testing rate; and the minimal yellow tier is less than one daily new case and a positive testing rate below 2%.
The county currently has a positive testing rate of 3.3%, down from 3.6% the week prior and once again within orange tier requirements.
If a county’s case rate and test positivity rate fall into two different tiers, the county will be assigned to the more restrictive tier, according to the state’s monitoring system.
Go here for more on how the OC business community is responding to COVID-19.
