ORANGE COUNTY had higher numbers of coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and patients in intensive care units in Sunday’s report (Shutterstock).

As Orange County – and all of Southern California – approaches the 11:59 p.m. changeover to a new, stricter “Stay Home Order,” the OC’s coronavirus numbers continue to look ominous.

The number of new cases in Sunday’s report from the county health care agency was a near-record 2,045, compared to Saturday’s 1,966. Deaths were the same at 15.

However, hospitalizations hit 848, an increase from the previous day’s 842. Patients with COVID-19 in intensive care units numbered 209 on Sunday, up from 193 on Saturday.

A region gets the tougher order when the percentage of ICU beds available falls below 15 percent. As of Sunday, the Southern California region’s number is 10.3 percent.

Looking at the bigger picture, Johns Hopkins University is reporting that there are now over 67 million global cases of COVID-19, of which 14,748,838 are in the United States. The worldwide death count is 1,535,038, of which 282,231 are Americans. California has 19,921 fatalities trailing only New York and Texas.