Orange County’s coronavirus case rate dives after new year highs

Dr. Richard Lee, a pulmonary critical care specialist at UCI Medical Center in Orange, said coronavirus patient levels at the hospital and its ICU have mirrored the downward trend countywide. “We think that a lot of the spikes were secondary to a lot of holiday get-togethers … Hopefully we won’t have another surge to this extent,” he said. “We’re fortunate to have the vaccine. The vaccine will definitely make an impact.” “That being said, of course we want to educate the public to be cautious, to protect themselves. We do think that COVID will still be in the community for a long time,” Lee said.