Extended State Order Expected As Riverside County Hospitals Fill

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — The number of people hospitalized due to COVID-19 surged over the weekend in Riverside County, adding more pressure to the health care system and increasing the odds of an extended stay-at-home order.

COVID-19 hospitalizations jumped to 1,239 patients Monday, an increase of 147 people since Friday, according to Riverside University Health System-Public Health data. Of those patients, 229 were in ICU, a jump of five since Friday.

ICU beds in Riverside County and the Southern California region are at o percent capacity.

Last week, Emergency Management Department Director Bruce Barton told the Riverside County Board of Supervisors that local hospitals were resorting to "surge capacity" plans to re-purpose and expand critical care space wherever possible.

During a Friday news briefing, Dr. Geoffrey Leung, who serves as ambulatory medical director at RUHS-Medical Center, characterized the surging hospitalizations as "unsustainable," and said that at the current rate of virus spread, the county can expect 1,800-2,200 COVID-19 hospitalizations next month.

One in five Riverside County residents have been infected or are currently infected with the virus, Leung said.

Since Friday, 9,380 new coronavirus cases were reported in Riverside County, bringing the total number of countywide cases to 150,422 since the pandemic began. Of that total case count, more than half are active infections, according to RUHS data.

The Riverside County COVID-19 death toll rose by nine people since Friday, bringing the total to 1,753, RUHS reported.

During a Monday news briefing, Gov. Gavin Newsom said that due to rising coronavirus spread across Southern California and the impact it's having on local hospitals, residents in the region should be prepared for an extended stay-at-home order that will last into the New Year.

Southern California's stay-home order was set to expire December 30.

Vaccination against the coronavirus has begun for frontline workers across the county. On Monday, workers at Wildomar's Inland Valley Medical Center, Murrieta's Rancho Springs Medical Center, and Temecula Valley Hospital were among the latest to receive the vaccine.

"Healthcare workers have already begun signing up for their immunizations and will continue to
receive them on a staggered schedule throughout the coming weeks. While the initial supply of the new vaccines will be limited, it is undeniably encouraging news that these new vaccines will help in society’s fight against the pandemic," according to a joint statement from the hospitals.