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By Fiona Kelliher 
 SAN JOSE, Calif. _ California reported the fewest average coronavirus cases and total hospitalizations this week in nearly two months, indicating that the summer's crushing caseload has eased _ even as epidemiologists warn of another potential upswing this fall.
 The state's seven-day average for new cases hit 6,662 Friday, according to data compiled by this news organization, the lowest it's been since July 5. Hospitalizations, meanwhile, have dipped to 4,772 statewide, down from a peak of more than 7,000 in late July and marking the fewest patients since the end of June.
 Even deaths _ which take longer to catch up to case and hospitalization rates _ have dropped off significantly, with the fewest average weekly deaths as of Friday (119) since July 30 (117).
 Altogether, the consistent downward trends show that the crush of new patients and hospitalizations earlier this summer no longer threaten to overwhelm the state, supporting Gov. Gavin Newsom's idea that California is "turning a corner" for now on the coronavirus pandemic.
 In terms of both cases and hospitalizations, Southern California remains the infection epicenter. Los Angeles County makes up the bulk of the state's hospitalizations with 1,280 COVID-19 patients as of Thursday, when data was most recently available _ more than three times the next-highest concentration of patients in Orange County. Still, hospitalizations countywide have decreased by a staggering 42% in since peaking at 2,232 patients in late July.
 As the state's population center, LA County likewise makes up about one-third of California's approximately 650,000 COVID-19 cases in total, followed by Riverside, Orange and San Bernadino counties. But LA's seven-day case average has dropped dramatically since mid-July just before the hospital surge, down about 60% to 1,480 weekly cases.
 While the state overall trends in a positive direction, Bay Area hospitalizations have crept slightly upward over the past week thanks to small increases in Alameda and San Francisco counties. Alameda now counts 204 hospitalized patients, up from a recent low of 163 on Aug. 8, while San Francisco has 106 people, nearing a prior record of 107 people.
 In Santa Clara County, however, hospitalizations have fluctuated above 170 people over much of the past month before dropping off to 155 patients _ the lowest number since July 18.
 Epidemiologists warn that the trends could quickly change. Dr. Peter Chin-Hong with the University of California, San Francisco, told this news organization last week that more cases and hospitalizations are likely to return this fall as students return to school and people get restless.
 "It'll be the unfortunate roller coaster of COVID," Chin-Hong said.
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California coronavirus case average, hospitalizations reach seven-week low