Health & Fitness
RivCo COVID Hospitalizations Continue Decline, Deaths Mount
The latest figures from Riverside University Health System.
RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — Over the last week, the number of COVID-positive patients in Riverside County hospitals dropped by 164 to 910 on Wednesday, but county officials have reported 131 COVID deaths over the same seven-day period.
Among Wednesday's hospitalized patients, 167 were in intensive care, four less than a week ago, according to the Riverside University Health System.
Not all COVID-positive patients were admitted due to the virus. Officials have said some patients entered hospitals for other reasons and only discovered they had COVID after a hospital-mandated test. Even asymptomatic patients require resource-intensive transmission-based precautions, including isolation rooms, cohorted staff where possible and personal protective equipment, according to health officials.
COVID fatalities reported Wednesday by the RUHS bring the county's cumulative pandemic death toll to 5,918; one week ago the figure stood at 5,787. Fatalities are considered trailing indicators because of delays processing death certificates, meaning some deaths may have actually occurred weeks ago, according to health officials.
The total number of COVID-19 cases recorded in the county since the pandemic began in March 2020 is 455,527, which is up by 12,774 compared to one week ago.
RUHS has opened an online reporting portal for at-home COVID tests. In recent months, positive at-home test results were not tallied in the county's overall figure.
More than 60 percent of county residents 5 and older are now fully vaccinated against the virus (60.1 percent). Of residents 12 and older, 27.7 percent have received a booster dose, according to RUHS data.
Pfizer and BioNTech announced Tuesday that they are requesting emergency use authorization for their two-dose COVID-19 vaccine for children under 5 years old.
For more information about vaccinations, click here.
