Orange and Los Angeles Counties Continue Downward COVID Trend

SANTA ANA—Orange County reported 1,355 new cases of COVID-19 and 44 additional deaths Jan. 31, bringing the county’s totals to 232,391 cases and 3,062 fatalities. The number of coronavirus patients in county hospitals continued its downward trend, declining from 1,442 Jan. 31 to 1,412, with the number of patients in intensive care dropping from 394 to 392. The county’s state-adjusted intensive care unit (ICU) bed availability remains at zero, and the unadjusted figure decreased slightly from 9.9 percent Jan. 30 to 9.8 percent. The state created the adjusted metric to reflect the difference in beds available for COVID-19 patients and non-coronavirus patients. The county has 48 percent of its ventilators available. Of the fatalities reported Jan. 31, three were residents of skilled nursing facilities and six were residents of assisted living facilities. Since the pandemic began, 830 residents of skilled nursing facilities have died from the virus, along with 320 …