The Orange County Board of Supervisors Tuesday appointed Dr. Clayton Chau, director of the county’s Health Care Agency, as the chief health officer following the abrupt resignation of Dr. Nichole Quick.
As part of her settlement agreement, Quick was paid $75,000. Quick, who was appointed county health officer last June, was entitled to three months’ severance pay.
Quick, who had also been assuming some responsibilities of the director of public health services, resigned Monday night after drawing criticism from residents and two supervisors for her order last month to require face coverings as the county allowed some businesses to reopen.
Nearly 100 residents lined up to speak out against the mask and stay-at-home orders at Tuesday morning’s Board of Supervisors meeting.
Quick, who did not state a reason for stepping down in her resignation letter, was receiving heightened security due to threats stemming from her mask order. Protesters brought a poster with Quick’s photo embellished with a Hitler mustache and swastikas to a previous Board of Supervisors meeting.
Supervisor Doug Chaffee said Monday that Quick resigned because “it was too much for her.”
“She has three young children and she’s been severely criticized by people who came out demanding her resignation, demonstrations in front of her home,” he said. “She’s done her best to give her medical opinion and it’s not popular, so she has resigned.”
Quick’s resignation was the second major and abrupt departure in Orange County since the pandemic began. David Souleles retired in April as the HCA’s deputy director of public health services.
Chau will also serve as the chief health officer so the county can issue health orders required by the state to reopen businesses and activities such as bars, day camps, community pools, gyms, museums, galleries, zoos, aquariums, hotels and youth sports.
Chaffee was not sure what would happen with Quick’s mask order. Chau has defended it, explaining it is required when residents cannot maintain six feet of social distancing.
Chaffee noted that for all the residents who show up at board meetings to complain about the mask order, officials have received a great deal of expressions of support for it.
“The email is 10-to-one to keep it,” Chaffee said. “They’re afraid to show up (at board meetings) because of the confrontation it will entail.”
Orange County health officials on Monday reported 113 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the county’s cumulative total to 7,527. The number of deaths remained unchanged at 177. Health officials say 85 of the deaths in the county involved residents of skilled nursing home facilities.
The number of hospitalized patients dipped from 297 on Sunday to 291 on Monday, with the number in intensive care rising from 129 to 135, according to the HCA.
The number of people tested for the virus in the county stands at 161,547, with 3,326 documented recoveries.
Orange County CEO Frank Kim told reporters last Thursday that officials are concerned that widespread protests against police brutality will boost coronavirus cases.
Officials respect the rights of protesters to speak out, but implore the activists to follow social distancing guidelines of keeping six feet apart and wearing face coverings, Kim said…. I feel the need for a face-covering mandate.”