Take Coronavirus Precautions: San Clemete Residents Urged

SAN CLEMENTE, CA —Residents in San Clemente and across Orange County were urged Friday to take adequate safety precautions in the wake of increasing COVID-19 cases.

While neighboring Los Angeles County has backpedaled from their no-mask-wearing for the vaccinated policy, officials say that Orange County is not taking that route. Vaccination is still the method of stalling or stopping the progress of the coronavirus in the county, delta variant or otherwise, according to Orange County Health Care's top doctors.

Currently, there are no plans to implement a new mask mandate in Orange County, OC Health Care reports.

That being said, if you are not fully vaccinated—14 days past your second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna coronavirus vaccine— you are encouraged to wear a mask inside, following guidelines from the California Department of Public Health.

You are also strongly encouraged to get vaccinated as soon as possible, says Dr. Clayton Chau, Orange County Health Officer and Agency Director of the HCA. Chau spoke on the new rise of coronavirus cases within the county.

In San Clemente and across Orange County, here are the places and ways to register for your coronavirus vaccine. Costco pharmacies, CVS, Walmart and other area mega-stores are booking appointments. However, in Orange County, the Othena system's registration remains the fastest way to get vaccinated. OC Health Care is also going into neighborhoods with mobile vaccination clinics and encourages community members to host vaccination clinics of their own through the Othena system.

“With the recent reopening of the State's economy, we had expected to see an increase in our COVID-19 cases and positivity rates,” said Chau.

The average number of cases in the county has more than tripled.

Cases have increased from 31 to over 100 per day over the last month, and our total testing positivity increased from 0.6% to 2.5%, Chau says.

Hospitalizations also jumped from 54 to 119 patients per day and ICU admissions increased from 13 to 31 per day.

"This means we need to continue being proactive about protecting our loved ones and neighbors and taking the necessary steps to help reduce the risk of infection throughout our county," Chau said.

HCA's advice to residents wishing to avoid becoming ill? Avoid large crowds and poorly ventilated spaces, especially those who are not fully vaccinated or live with others who are unvaccinated or have a high health risk of contracting COVID-19.

Who is getting sick?

Over 90 percent of new positive cases are among people who are not fully vaccinated, Chau says. Of those hospitalized, statistics show that over 95% of those hospitalized with COVID-19 had not been fully vaccinated.

According to the CDC, all COVID-19 vaccines currently authorized in the United States are effective against COVID-19, including serious outcomes like severe disease, hospitalization, and death.

Testing also remains a critical component of the County’s strategy to reduce viral transmission.

Dr. Margaret Bredehoft, the Deputy Agency Director of the HCA Public Health Services, discussed the new Delta variant.

“Testing helps support early detection and prevent the spread of possible variants,” said Dr. Margaret Bredehoft, Deputy Agency Director of HCA Public Health Services. “Self-collection, at-home COVID-19 test kits are available at no cost by visiting www.ochealthinfo.com/covidtest. If you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, please seek testing, regardless of your vaccination status.”

Though the county switched reporting to once a week, they return to a daily—Monday through Friday—coronavirus case count report starting Monday.

Dr. Chau also encourages individuals who remain hesitant to receive the COVID-19 vaccine to learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine through credible sources, including the CDC, the CDPH, the Food and Drug Administration, the World Health Organization, and the American Academy of Pediatrics.