NEW CASES of coronavirus in Orange County increased significantly in Wednesday’s report (Shutterstock).

Coronavirus cases in Orange County surged strongly in Wednesday’s report from the county health care agency.

According to the OCHA, the count of confirmed new infections hit 2,749, up from 987 on Tuesday and 1,295 on Monday.

Deaths, however, declined from six to five.

Hospitalizations jumped from 322 to 376 and the number of persons being treated for COVID-19 in intensive care units increased from 66 to 72.

So far, Orange County has had 322,761 cases, of which 303,720 are considered recovered. The total of deaths is at 5,888.

New cases – powered largely by the Omicron variant – jumped 126 percent over a 14-day period, according to The New York Times. Deaths dropped by 3 percent.

In California, new cases surged 228 percent, but deaths declined 21 percent, reports Los Angeles Times over a similar period.