SANTA ANA, Calif.—The number of hospitalized patients increased from 288 Tuesday to 291 Sept. 29, with the number of intensive care unit (ICU) patients increasing from 72 to 82, according to the Orange County Health Care Agency (OCHCA). Despite the slight increase, the county has seen its number of COVID-19 patients gradually decline in the last two months. The county has 23.7 percent of its ICU beds available and 66 percent of its ventilators. The county also logged another 305 new cases of COVID-19 raising the total to 297,237 since the pandemic began. Eight more coronavirus fatalities were recorded in Orange County, five in September and three in July, increasing the total to 5,426. The death toll for September is 67 and 156 for August, a stark contrast with the rest of the summer. The death toll for July increased to 25, 19 for June, 23 for May, 46 for April, …