City of Laguna Beach Added to Orange County COVID-19 Case Count Data
City of Laguna Beach Added to Orange County COVID-19 Case Count Data
City of Laguna Beach, March 30, 2020, Media Release
Laguna Beach, CA – Today the Orange County Health Care Agency began reporting COVID-19 data for cities with a population under 25,000 once the City reports at least five positive cases. According to the Health Care Agency, this compromise satisfies concerns raised by the County’s smaller cities to obtain data on reported cases and also protects patient confidentiality once cities report more than five cases. As of Monday, March 30, the Health Care Agency reported 22 positive cases of COVID-19 in the City of Laguna Beach.
According to the Health Care Agency, City case data is reflective of where cases live, and should not be interpreted to reflect where transmission is geographically focused or not, as COVID-19 is present in all communities in the county. Case counts are not reflective of all disease transmission in any given community because testing is prioritized for those at greatest risk or most sick; asymptomatic and persons with mild disease may not be reflected due to not being tested.
“The City of Laguna Beach was one of the first in the County to take action to close our beaches, trailheads, and beach parks to protect the safety of our community and slow the spread of the virus,” said Laguna Beach City Manager John Pietig. “While these actions will take time to show results, we want to thank our community for their diligence in respecting these closures, honoring the Governor’s stay-at-home order, and practicing social distancing. If we all take these steps, we can prevent the continued spread of COVID-19.”
Because transmission occurs throughout the county, it is important for all residents to practice social-distancing as directed by the Governor and the Orange County Health Officer regardless of case count in their city. Doing so will help to reduce the spread of infection, ease the burden on our hospital and healthcare system, and protect those most vulnerable in our county.
Additional Resources
The City is regularly updating additional information on COVID-19 on our website at www.lagunabeachcity.net/coronavirus
