SANTA ANA, Calif.—Orange County reported another 1,351 COVID-19 infections July 26, including infection numbers from the weekend, while the number of people hospitalized due to the virus continued to rise. As of July 26, there were 194 people hospitalized in the county due to COVID, up from 156 July 32. There were 48 people in intensive care, up from 44 on July 23. The new infections raised the cumulative total from throughout the pandemic to 262,071. One more fatality due to COVID was reported, raising the countywide death toll to 5,139. According to the Orange County Health Care Agency, the most dominant variants in the county in recent weeks have been the Delta, Alpha and Gamma variants. Delta and Alpha are considered much more highly contagious, with Delta now considered the most dominant strain statewide. Experts say the current COVID vaccines all provide a high degree of protection against infections …