Shortage of ICU beds reported in Riverside County

RIVERSIDE (CNS) - Ninety-nine percent of Intensive Care Unit beds in Riverside County are reported Monday to be occupied as California experiences a surge in new COVID-19 cases and evidence of rising community transmission. There were just five empty ICU beds remaining in Riverside County as of Sunday, County spokeswoman Brooke Federico said in remarks reported in the Desert Sun. The number of occupied ICU bed represents a 19% increase over the past two weeks. Of the 380 ICU patients in Riverside County, 28% are confirmed COVID-19 patients. Overall, the county's hospital beds are currently 63% occupied. This means hospitals have flexibility to convert some of those empty beds to ICU beds under their surge plans, which is what hospitals plan to do in the coming week, Federico said. The s