SANTA ANA, Calif. (CNS) — The number of COVID-positive patients in Orange County hospitals increased slightly Saturday, rising by two people to 119, according to the latest state figures.

The number of those patients in intensive care was 16, down from 18 the previous day.

On Thursday, local health officials reported that OC's COVID positivity rates and hospitalizations remained about the same as last week, and also logged 29 more fatalities linked to the virus, with most of them occurring last month.

The fatalities boosted the overall death toll to 7,488, according to the Orange County Health Care Agency. Seven of the 29 deaths happened this month, the first recorded so far for October. Twenty of the deaths happened in September, increasing last month's death toll to 63. One fatality occurred in July, increasing that month's death toll to 128, and another happened in May, boosting that month's death toll to 37.

The OCHCA, which provides COVID updates on Thursdays, also reported 1,328 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the county's cumulative total to 670,606 since the pandemic began.