In the last several weeks, OCHCA has continued see a rise in influenza cases in the county that is early and steep and suggests that our county will experience a severe influenza season. On November 1, 2022, the County Health Officer announced an emergency declaration related to the severe burden...

On November 17, 2022, the CDC released Health Update, Managing Monkeypox in Patients Receiving Therapeutics . While cases rates have declined, new cases continue to be identified, including persons experiencing serious disease. Two cases of laboratory-confirmed tecovirimat resistance have been identified nationally; these were both in individuals with immunocompromising conditions...

(Santa Ana, CA) – The OC Health Care Agency (HCA) recognizes World AIDS Day 2022 as an opportunity to support the well-being of those with HIV; to remember those who have died from AIDS-related illness; and to promote prevention, care, and treatment services to end the HIV epidemic. Recognized on...

Once an individual is diagnosed with COVID-19, early treatment with COVID-19-specific agents is the only existing strategy to markedly decrease risk of serious illness. There is ample supply of COVID-19 therapeutic agents, but they have been underused – especially among populations disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, including communities of color, low-income...

(Santa Ana, CA) – In response to the recent increase in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) issued a Health Alert to local health agencies to remind residents and providers that COVID-19 therapeutics are effective and widely available to mitigate the severity of COVID-19 symptoms...

(Santa Ana, CA) – Orange County has moved to the Medium COVID-19 Community Level according to the latest Community Level metrics released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the OC Health Care Agency (HCA) announced today. Due to a surge in respiratory viruses and the onset of...

Last week, the FDA authorized the use of bivalent COVID-19 vaccines for children down to six months of age; the CDC then expanded its recommendations for the use of bivalent COVID-19 vaccines to include this age group. More info...

(Santa Ana, CA) – The National Weather Service (NWS) has forecasted cold overnight temperatures throughout inland and coastal Orange County cities beginning Monday, December 12 through Friday, December 16. Overnight temperatures in some areas will dip to the low 40s. Colder-than-normal temperatures increase the risk of cold-related illnesses like hypothermia...

(Santa Ana, CA) – The OC Health Care Agency’s (HCA) Mental Health and Recovery Services (MHRS) has been awarded $27,659,059 from the state as part of California’s initiative to grant funding for new or existing facilities that help children, youth, transition-age youth, and perinatal individuals with a mental health and/or...

NHANES, the nation's mobile health survey, has been traveling across the country learning about the health of the US. population since 1960. (Santa Ana, CA) – The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), the most comprehensive survey of the health and nutritional status of the U.S. population, is coming...