LOS ANGELES—The number of coronavirus patients in Los Angeles County hospitals dropped by 20 today to 638, one day after increasing by 20 people. The number of those patients in intensive care ticked up from 182 to 184, according to state figures. The county’s number of COVID patients has fluctuated in recent days after weeks of steady decline, rising for three straight days, then dropping for two straight days before Saturday’s increase. Local health officials reported 898 new cases of COVID-19 and four additional deaths Sunday, bringing the county’s cumulative totals to 1,477,686 cases and 26,414 deaths since the pandemic began. The number of cases and deaths announced Sunday likely reflect reporting delays over the weekend. The highly transmissible Delta variant continues to account for 100 percent of COVID-19 strains seen among samples sequenced in the area, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said Saturday. Health officials are …