The rate of positive COVID-19 cases in Irvine remains the lowest per capita compared to neighboring cities, according to Irvine Police Chief Mike Hamel.

As of July 30, the number of COVID-19 cases in Irvine had reached 1,160. That’s an increase of 773 in a one month period. With the increase, it becomes the second consecutive month that positive COVID-19 cases in Irvine exceeded the total number of cases it reported the month prior.

June 1: 198,July 1: 419,July 30: 1,160

During the July 28 City Council meeting, Hamel presented the city’s latest testing totals, along with case updates on the city’s positivity rates. Hamel said the city’s free COVID-19 testing program has tested more than 2,000 residents.

“We have now tested over 2,000 people,” Hamel said during his brief presentation. “And as promised by Curogram, our vendor, we are seeing results returned with 48 hours and sometimes even closer 24 hours.”

On July 10, Irvine became the first city in Orange County to offer free COVID-19 testing to residents in the city. However, the program become fully booked shortly after registration opened.

Still, while more appointments have become available, Hamel added that the Irvine Police Department received complaints regarding the registration process.

“Especially for those that are trying to register via a method other than a mobile device,” he said. “Every effort has been made to help them and get them a test.”

While cases continue to increase in Irvine, Hamel presented an optimistic statistic regarding per-capita positivity rates.

“As of July 26, Irvine has experienced 1,107 known cases, and this is at a per-capita rate of 3.95 cases per-1,000 residents,” Hamel explained. “And as reported out two weeks ago, this continues to be the lowest per-capita rate of all the cities including Anaheim, Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach, Lake Forrest, Mission Viejo, Newport Beach, Santa Ana and Tustin,” Hamel explained.

Slowing the Spread

As Irvine remains the lowest in terms of positive rate, companies around Irvine are doing what they can to help slow the spread of COVID-19 cases in Irvine.

The city has received more than 1 million face masks, including it’s most recent donation from FivePoint.