Riverside County COVID-19 hospitalizations hit 600, setting new record

RIVERSIDE (CNS) – As the record-breaking hospitalization rate of coronavirus patients climbed higher Tuesday, Dec. 1 in Riverside County, hitting the 600-mark, health officials also reported 412 new COVID-19 infections and one death.
The addition of 15 new patients since yesterday brought the record number of COVID-19 hospitalizations countywide to 600, up from Monday’s record 585, according to the Riverside University Health System. That number includes 127 patients being treated in intensive care units — a slight improvement from the 129 people in the ICU a day ago.
Before this week, the previous record high of 550 hospitalizations was set in July.
The aggregate number of infections recorded countywide since the public health documentation period began in early March is 84,824, compared to 84,412 on Monday, according to the Riverside University Health System.
Officials said the number of deaths stemming from complications related to COVID-19 stands at 1,443.
The number of known active virus cases countywide is 15,899, an increase of 234 compared to Monday. The active count is derived by subtracting deaths and recoveries from the current total — 84,824 — according to the County Executive Office. The number of verified patient recoveries is 67,482.
The county has more than 1,000 general and ICU beds available, but that doesn’t include emergency capacity, in which hospital floors are converted to critical care space, adding more beds as required.
Last week, Department of Public Health Director Kim Saruwatari said the county’s state-adjusted COVID-19 case rate was 27.2 per 100,000 residents, compared to 22 per 100,000 three weeks ago, and an overall state-calculated positivity rate of 9.9%, up from 8.9%.
The county’s testing level is at 300 per 100,000. The revised state threshold for large counties is 272 per 100,000.

City News Service (CNS)