SANTA ANA—Orange County reported 79 new cases of COVID-19 and five additional deaths April 18, while coronavirus hospitalizations in the county decreased. The latest numbers brought the county’s totals to 252,963 cases and 4,896 fatalities since the pandemic began, according to the Orange County Health Care Agency. The number of COVID patients in county hospitals dropped from 134 on April 17 to 124, while the number of those in intensive care dropped from 25 to 23. The county has 35.2 percent of its ICU beds available and 74 percent of its ventilators. Another 8,032 COVID-19 tests were logged April 18 for a total of 3,542,407. As of April 15, the county’s average daily rate of new COVID cases was 2.9 per 100,000 residents, and the overall positivity rate was 1.5 percent. The positivity rate in underprivileged communities in the health equity category was 1.6 percent, Orange County chief executive Frank …