COVID-19 Hospitalizations Surpass 800 In Riverside County

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — Coronavirus cases continued climbing in Riverside County Friday, with COVID-positive hospitalizations also rising.

The Riverside University Health System announced another 1,897 infections Friday, increasing the total to 112,950, up from 111,053 on Thursday. The more than 100,000 cases include all positive tests reported since early March.

Friday's case total was roughly half the amount of documented infections RUHS announced on Thursday, and less than a quarter of the volume confirmed on Tuesday, when nearly 11,000 infections were reported — a record number attributed to a data backlog that officials said has since been resolved.

Another 22 deaths attributed to COVID-19 were reported Friday, lifting the county total to 1,573.
COVID-positive hospitalizations countywide rose to 809, up from 775 on Thursday, including 170 intensive care unit patients, one less than a day earlier.

Emergency Management Department Director Bruce Barton told the Board of Supervisors Tuesday that the biggest challenge facing hospitals is staffing, and the county is trying to fill "resource requests."

The 11-county Southern California region's available ICU capacity dropped to 6.2 percent Friday, down from 7.7 percent Thursday.