NEW CASES of coronavirus in Orange County are up sharply in Wednesday’s report (Shutterstock).

The number of confirmed new cases of coronavirus in Orange County continues to arc upwards, as Wednesday’s count is sharply higher than Tuesday’s tally.

According to the county health care agency, the daily total is 1,057, compared to 652 on Tuesday and a three-day average of 452 on Monday.

The OCHA notes that because of a counting delay, Wednesday’s total is for a 30-hour period, but even with the extra four hours taken into account, the increase is dramatic.

Deaths, however, declined from four to two. Hospitalizations rose from 188 to 215. The use of intensive care units to treat COVID-19 patients ticked up from 56 to 57.

To date, Orange County has had 321,895 confirmed cases, of which 306,741 are considered recovered. The total of deaths is at 5,859.

At the national level, The New York Times reports a 27 percent increase in cases and a 4 percent rise in deaths over a 14-day period. In California, new cases are up 17 percent but deaths have declined 7 percent over a similar period, according to Los Angeles Times.