Orange County health officials say they expect an upswing of COVID-19 cases to continue into the New Year. “We anticipate a continuing surge into January and are planning accordingly,” University of California–Irvine (UCI) Medical Center spokesman John Murray told The Epoch Times via email. The region has seen a steady increase in COVID-19 cases throughout December, with both hospitalizations and positive case rates breaking records almost daily. The Orange County Health Care Agency (OCHCA) on Dec. 24 reported 3,490 new cases of the disease and one new fatality. The intensive care units (ICU) in Orange County’s hospitals remained at zero percent availability, according to the county’s adjusted metric. The county’s COVID-19 hospitalizations rose to 1,893, another record. Overall, the county has reported 138,310 total cases of the disease, along with 1,782 deaths. Those tracking daily cases posted by the OCHCA will have to wait until Dec. 26 to review the …