ALL THAT hand washing and mask wearing appears to be paying off (Shutterstock).

Is it the masks? The hand sanitizer? The social distancing? The rollout of the vaccines?  Or maybe all of them together?

The number of new confirmed cases of coronavirus in Orange County continues to fall sharply, reviving hopes for a promotion to the “red tier” of the state’s classification system for COVID-19 infections, along with a reopening of schools for in-person instruction.

According to the county health care agency, Wednesday’s tally of cases dropped to 166, the lowest total so far in 2021. That’s a decrease from 369 on Tuesday and 289 on Monday.

Deaths ticked upward from 23 to 27, but hospitalizations of coronavirus cases dropped from 748 to 719. Cases in intensive care units remained steady at 235.

The to-date total of Orange County cases is at 243,329, of which 218,943 are considered recovered.  The death toll is at 3,644. Orange County’s positivity rate – calculated on a 14-day average – has fallen to 9 percent from 12 percent, perhaps foreshadowing a reassignment to the “red” (substantial) tier when the state releases its next classifications on Feb. 23.

Here is a list of the OC cities with the most cases. Deaths are in parentheses.

• Santa Ana: 43,587 (650)
• Anaheim: 40,495 (667)
• Garden Grove: 15,888 (282)
• Orange: 11,466 (190)
• Fullerton: 10,857 (232)
• Huntington Beach: 10,050 (170)

Westminster has had 6,793 cases and 140 deaths. Stanton has had 3,060 cases and 47 deaths.