A woman wears a protective mask while exercising on the boardwalk in Huntington Beach on April 2, 2020. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Orange County surpassed 1,000 for the first time Wednesday, health officials said.

The county has confirmed a total of 1,016 cases with 17 deaths, after two more fatalities were announced Wednesday.

The number of known O.C. patients has increased 15% in two days, up from 931 on Tuesday and 882 Monday, according to the O.C. Health Care Agency.

Wednesday’s 91 new cases represent the largest daily increase since the county reported 104 new cases April 1.

O.C. Health has also released data on the cities and communities where people with confirmed cases live.

Some 99 people are currently hospitalized, with 59 of them in an intensive care unit, officials say.

“While we want to provide information that best educates our community during this pandemic, it’s important to understand that hospitalization numbers capture a point in time and will fluctuate daily,” county Health Officer Dr. Nichole Quick said in a statement. “Looking at historical data over a period of weeks can give us a better understanding of trends in our community.”

So far, 11,791 people across the county have been tested for COVID-19, with 8.6% of them confirmed positive. O.C. Health says it currently has the capacity to run 1,637 more tests.

People 65 years and older account for about 19% of the patients but 53% of the deaths, according to county data.

The disease is also killing men at a slightly higher rate than women, with males representing 52% of cases but 59% of deaths. Early research has shown that trend is global, and experts say it may be because men are more likely to have underlying conditions such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease and chronic lung disease.

For more information on local resources available and O.C.’s coronavirus response, text OCCOVID19 to 888777 to sign up for the county’s public alerts.

Hi, #OC. We’ve posted today’s case count updates to https://t.co/GrmR7ne0Be. Data posted each day are always preliminary and subject to change. More information may become available as individual case investigations are completed. #OCCOVID19 pic.twitter.com/EGhe503sNt — Health Care Agency (@ochealth) April 8, 2020