NEW CORONAVIRUS cases in Orange County fell sharply in Thursday’s count (Shutterstock).

Confirmed new cases of coronavirus in Orange County are continuing to decrease sharply.

According to the county health care agency, Thursday’s count is 476, compared to 633 on Wednesday and 702 on Tuesday. Also showing declines were hospitalizations (down to 399 from 415) and the use of intensive care units to treat COVID-19 patients (down from 79 to 76).

The only category showing an increase was deaths, which rose from 19 on Wednesday to 24 on Thursday.

To date, Orange County has had 534,608 cases, of which 494,829 are considered recovered. The total of deaths from coronavirus is 6,419.

Nationally, The New York Times reports a decrease of 68 percent in cases over a 14-day period. Deaths fell by 13 percent.  In California, Los Angeles Times is reporting a 72 percent drop in new cases and a 23 percent rise in deaths.