NEW CASES of coronavirus declined for the third day (Shutterstock).

New confirmed cases of coronavirus declined for the third consecutive day in Orange County.

That’s according to the report from the county health care agency.  New cases dropped from 352 to 326 today (Thursday) and the number of patients being treated for COVID-19 declined from 103 to 102.

However, hospitalizations rose from 368 to 371 and deaths increased from 10 to 11.

To date, Orange County has had 292,450 cases, of which 275,757 are considered recovered. Deaths are at 5,337.

At the national level, The New York Times is reporting that – over a 14-day period – cases declined by 8 percent but deaths rose by 37 percent. In California, cases are down 34 percent and deaths up 42 percent, over a similar period.