Nearly 30% of ICU beds available, as Orange County COVID hospitalizations continue decline

Andrew Noymer, a UC Irvine professor of population health and disease prevention, said vaccine distribution has improved in recent weeks. He said he preferred that pharmacies would have taken the lead in getting shots in arms, but added, “ultimately you need both” government-run sites and private health care points of distribution. Overall, the decreases in cases and the ramping up of inoculations has the country heading closer to getting past the pandemic, Noymer said. “The news has never been better in a long time,” Noymer said.