Coronavirus Cases Exceed 8,000 In Riverside County, Deaths 342

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — Riverside County health officials Tuesday reported 11 coronavirus fatalities and 173 newly confirmed cases, lifting the county's death toll to 342 and case total to 8,155.

The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 in Riverside County increased by seven to 203 compared to Monday, while the number of patients being treated in intensive care units was unchanged at 62, according to the Riverside University Health System.

Documented recoveries rose by 79 to 4,804.

In Riverside County, the so-called "doubling time" — or the amount of time it takes for the county's case total to increase by 100% — is now at 31 days, RUHS spokesman Jose Arballo told City News Service on Tuesday.

A seven-day doubling event is considered troubling. Longer doubling times point to moderation, according to health officials.

The county's hospital numbers include non-residents who are being treated for COVID-19 within the county's borders, including some from neighboring Imperial County.

Emergency Management Department Director Bruce Barton said Friday that the county had received more than 70 patients from Imperial County. He said most of the patients arrived during the last two weeks of May, and they were part of a "large number of people south of the border coming across the border for medical care."

In most cases, the patients were unable to obtain health services at Imperial County's two hospitals, and in coordination with state officials, the individuals were transferred to one of the 16 medical facilities in Riverside County for care, according to Barton.

He confirmed that some of the patients had been counted among county residents hospitalized for coronavirus-related symptoms, and there was no distinction between the two in the COVID-19 hospital count published by the Riverside University Health System.

Barton said the countywide total hospital bed capacity of 3,560 and the ICU bed capacity of 385 have not been seriously impacted by the Imperial Valley arrivals, and the "metrics for reopening" the county under the governor's multi-stage de-regulation plan should not be affected.

The county is in the accelerated half of stage 2 of the framework, permitting retail establishments, hair salons, dine-in restaurants and gaming facilities to operate with restrictions. In stage 3, theaters and sporting venues will be permitted to reopen.

Department of Public Health Director Kim Saruwatari said the county is already in the qualification range to advance to the next stage.

She also pointed out the need for ongoing testing among residents and encouraged those who haven't been screened to make an appointment via rivcoph.org/coronavirus/testing.

More than 123,000 Riverside County residents had been tested for the virus as of Tuesday afternoon, which accounts for more than 4% of the county's population of nearly 2.5 million.