Orange County coronavirus metrics have improved again, putting the red layer within reach – Orange County Register

Marking a fifth week of improvement in pandemic metrics from a difficult start to the new year, Orange County plunged a toe into the next less restrictive level of the state’s four-level tracking system, which governs which businesses and public spaces can reopen .

The positivity of the county test – which is the proportion of smear and spit tests that tested positive and is one of three critical metrics used to determine how strict the pandemic rules should be – this week dropped to 7.8%, badly exceeding the 8% limit for red-level territory, according to an update by the state Department of Public Health on Tuesday, February 16. Last week, the rate of positive tests was 9.4%.

However, Orange County will remain in the strictest purple belt, where it has remained since mid-November, until two other critical metrics improve further: case rate and health equity. Counties must qualify in all three metrics to the next level for two weeks to advance.

The county’s case rate dropped to 20.7 cases per day for 100,000 residents this week, from 29.7 per 100,000 last week. The rate must be below 7 per 100,000 to meet the red level targets.

The health equity metric – or test positivity among Orange County neighborhoods that were disproportionately impacted by the pandemic – dropped from 12.4% to 10.7% last week, staying above the red level target of 8%.

As of last September, Orange County enjoyed a two-month respite from the stricter rules of the pandemic when it reached the red level and companies such as restaurants, cinemas and gyms could operate indoors with limited capacity.