CORONAVIRUS cases in Orange County rose but deaths are down (Shutterstock).

New confirmed cases of coronavirus in Orange County were reported Tuesday to be 32. That’s up from 18 on Friday but down from 40 on Thursday.

Deaths declined from three to two and hospitalizations ticked up from 53 to 54. Patients being treated for COVID-19 in intensive care units similarly rose to 15 from 14.

(The Tribune isn’t using Monday’s statistics here because the Orange County Health Care Agency combined Saturday and Sunday’s numbers with those from Monday, making comparisons problematic.)

To date, coronavirus cases in the OC are at 255,695, of which 249,694 have been judged as recovered. Deaths are at 5,099.

Nationally, cases are down 18 percent over a 14-day period according to The New York Times. Deaths are down by the same percentage. In California, cases have declined 40 percent and deaths by 52 percent over the same time.