Orange County reported 814 new cases of COVID-19 and two more deaths Sunday, bringing the county's totals to 24,715 cases and 423 fatalities.
The number of cases represents a decrease from the previous six days, which each saw more than 1,000 new cases confirmed.
Neither of the two deaths reported Sunday were residents of care facilities. Of the county's total coronavirus deaths, 212 were residents of skilled nursing facilities, 15 were residents of assisted-living facilities, and two were homeless, according to the Orange County Health Care Agency.
Of the county's total cases, 1,315 are residents of skilled nursing facilities, 422 are jail inmates, and 119 are people experiencing homelessness, officials said.
The number of hospitalized patients rose from 671 Saturday to 675, and the number of patients in intensive care rose from 231 to 233.
The county has reported 307,400 coronavirus tests to date, with 10,197 documented recoveries.
The county's recent rise in infections was expected as officials relaxed restrictions on economic activity, Orange County CEO Frank Kim said earlier this week, while noting there has been a significant rise in infections in young adults.
"One of the interesting or concerning dynamics we've seen in the positivity rate over the last several weeks is we've seen this rise in new infections in the younger population, 17 to 24 and 24 to 34," Kim said.
Infections in those age groups has raced upward "dramatically faster'' recently, Kim said.
They are not necessarily requiring hospitalization at the same rate as older groups, he said, "but, obviously, they have parents and uncles out
in the community," who are also getting sick.
Dr. Clayton Chau, the Orange County Health Care Agency director and interim public health officer, said "these trends are very concerning. We can expect it to impact our health care system and get worse in the coming weeks."
The county's hospitals are "actively preparing" for a surge of patients, and it could mean fewer beds for patients without the virus, Chau said.
Chau implored seniors and residents with underlying health issues to "stay at home as much as possible."
