RIVERSIDE (CNS) – Coronavirus cases in Riverside County increased by 900 Thursday, Dec. 3, along with 13 more deaths, while hospitalizations continued to climb.
The aggregate number of infections recorded countywide since the public health documentation period began in early March is 86,797, compared to 85,896 on Wednesday, according to the Riverside University Health System.
Officials said the number of deaths stemming from complications related to COVID-19 stands at 1,457.
The number of COVID-positive hospitalizations countywide is at 649, compared to 628 on Wednesday, including 124 intensive care unit patients — a drop of two from a day ago, according to RUHS data.
Passing the 600 mark in suspected or confirmed coronavirus hospitalizations earlier this week exceeded the county’s previous “surge” recorded in the latter half of July.
The county Emergency Management Department has not reported any medical facility at or over capacity. However, the CEO of Riverside University Medical Center in Moreno Valley told City News Service Wednesday that bed space could become an issue if the current trend continues, despite extensive preparations for a second-wave surge. Staffing shortages are also a growing concern at the hospital, which is the largest treatment facility in the western county region.
The number of known active virus cases countywide is 17,366, an increase of 648 compared to Wednesday. The active count is derived by subtracting deaths and recoveries from the current total — 86,797 — according to the County Executive Office. The number of verified patient recoveries is 67,974. That figure has previously been under-reported due to health officials not being able to confirm the status of patients in follow-up interviews.
The county has more than 1,200 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.
The state-adjusted case rate for the county is 21.2 per 100,000 residents, down from 27.2 per 100,000 last week, and an overall state-calculated positivity rate of 7.7%, down from 9.9% previously.
The county’s testing level is at 300 per 100,000. The revised state threshold for large counties is 272 per 100,000.
