3 of 4 COVID stats improve

Three of four major metrics tracking the state of the coronavirus epidemic in Orange County showed improvement on Thursday.

Confirmed new cases dropped from 557 on Wednesday to 477 on Thursday. Hospitalizations declined from 573 to 565 and the number of patients being treated for COVID-19 fell from 129 to 122.

However, the number of deaths increased from six to seven.

To date, Orange County has had 282,643 cases, of which 260,971 are considered recovered. The toll of deaths is 5,197.

At the national level, The New York Times is reporting – over a 14-day period – an increase in new cases of 23 percent and a rise in deaths of 111 percent.

Similarly, in California, the Los Angeles Times is reporting a 23 percent increase in new cases and a 116 percent rise in deaths.