COVID-19 Update For Riverside County: Vaccinations, Cases, Deaths

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — Despite a small uptick Wednesday, Riverside County COVID-19 hospitalizations were down compared to a week ago, but virus-related deaths reported over the last seven days have mounted.

According to figures released Wednesday by the Riverside University Health System, the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations countywide was 617, while the number of intensive care patients being treated for the virus was 132. The figures were down by 52 and 14 patients, respectively, compared to one week ago.

Hospitalizations and ICU admissions had been rising in the county, but after the Labor Day holiday the figures dropped Tuesday. RUHS did not provide updates over the three-day weekend.

The COVID-19 death toll rose by 50 people over the last seven days, for a total of 4,788 fatalities countywide since the pandemic began last year. The figures are trailing indicators because of delays processing death certificates, according to health officials.

The total number of COVID-19 cases recorded in Riverside County since the pandemic began in March 2020 stood at 341,760 Wednesday, an increase of 4,685 since one week ago.

According to the RUHS data, 54.8 percent of all Riverside County residents 12 and older are now fully vaccinated, compared to 53.8 percent last Wednesday.

Booster shots are not yet available in California, but additional doses of COVID-19 vaccines are on hand for those with moderately to severely compromised immune systems, according to the California Department of Public Health.

The state agency said the additional doses are for people who:

• Get active cancer treatment for tumors or cancers of the blood
• Got an organ transplant and are taking medicine to suppress the immune system
• Got a stem cell transplant within the last 2 years or are taking medicine to suppress the immune system
• Have moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency (such as DiGeorge syndrome, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome)
• Have advanced or untreated HIV infection
• Get active treatment with high-dose corticosteroids or other drugs that suppress immune response

Information on vaccinations in Riverside County is available at rivcoph.org/coronavirus.