Coronavirus, Covid 19, Orange County CA, Solano County CA, Solano County Counsel Bernadette Curry

Solano County refuses but Orange County releases City count of coronavirus cases

Editor – Benicia Mayor Elizabeth Patterson and others have asked Solano County to release a list of positive cases of the coronavirus BY ZIP CODE.  In response, a Solano County elected staffer wrote, “HIPAA is a Federal Law that governs patient privacy. It prohibits disclosure of confidential health information. County Counsel has made the determination that releasing city specific data would violate our obligations under HIPAA.”  Orange County is evidently not of the same opinion.  Solano County Counsel is Bernadette Curry, bscurry@solanocounty.com.  Solano’s Public Health Officer is Bela Matyas, btmatyas@solanocounty.com. – R.S.

Orange County releases list of all communities with coronavirus cases

Los Angeles Times,  by Luke Money, March 27, 2020 5:29 PM

508645_la-me-oc-coronavirus_5_AJS.jpg
Dr. Dallas Weaver, 79, and his wife, Janet Weaver, 75, of Huntington Beach wear reusable protective masks and gloves as they return from walking along the Huntington Beach Pier on March 18. Officials have since closed the pier. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Orange County is continuing to see a dramatic uptick in coronavirus cases — with confirmed infections swelling more than threefold over the course of less than a week.

The numbers

— Orange County reported 321 cases of coronavirus infection on Friday, up from 95 as of the previous weekend and 256 on Thursday.

— Three deaths have been confirmed so far. One was a county resident in his 70s who had underlying health conditions. Officials have not released information about the other two.

Analysis

Health officials have said the county’s caseload will probably continue to increase as more people are tested.

“Community members need to know that we expect more cases and, unfortunately, more deaths in the coming days and weeks,” said county Health Officer Dr. Nichole Quick.

The county started releasing the number of cases by city on Friday, but officials warn that the counts don’t mean one location is more or less safe than another.

“There is risk countywide, and we need all individuals to listen to the recommendations of state and local health officials,” Quick said.

Cases by city:

  • Aliso Viejo: 2
  • Anaheim: 28
  • Brea: 1
  • Buena Park: 7
  • Costa Mesa: 8
  • Cypress: 6
  • Dana Point: 7
  • Fountain Valley: 5
  • Fullerton: 7
  • Garden Grove: 4
  • Huntington Beach: 26
  • Irvine: 33
  • La Habra: 1
  • Laguna Niguel: 11
  • Lake Forest: 5
  • Mission Viejo: 6
  • Newport Beach: 32
  • Orange: 11
  • Placentia: 5
  • Rancho Santa Margarita: 3
  • San Clemente: 10
  • San Juan Capistrano: 9
  • Santa Ana: 13
  • Seal Beach: 1
  • Stanton: 0
  • Tustin: 4
  • Westminster: 5
  • Yorba Linda: 10
  • Other: 27*
  • Unknown: 34

*Includes unincorporated areas and cities with a population of less than 25,000.