Riverside County sets new record for COVID-19 hospitalization – NBC Los Angeles

Riverside County reported a record number of coronavirus patients being treated in a local hospital on Monday.

With the addition of 87 new patients over the weekend, the county-wide COVID-19 hospitalizations increased from 498 on Friday to 585, according to the Riverside University Health System. That number includes 129 patients being treated in the intensive care unit. The number has increased by 14 since Friday.

According to RUHS data, a record high of 550 hospitalizations was set in July.

2,126 additional cases were reported on Monday (authorities did not release the latest figures over the weekend), and the total number of infections recorded throughout the county since the public health documentation period began in early March. Is 84,412, which is compared to 82,286 on Friday.

Health officials also reported five more deaths, with deaths reaching 1,442.

The number of active virus cases known throughout the county was 15,665, an increase of 1,518 from Friday. According to the county administration, the active count is calculated by subtracting death and recovery from the current total (84,412). The number of patient recovery validated is 67,305.

As the total number of cases increases across the state, Governor Gavin Newsom today warned that a home order could be issued soon, unless the trend reverses.

In Riverside County last week, a briefing from public health officials focused on the outbreak. RUHS Dr. Geoffrey Leung said hospitals in the area are “beginning to feel nervous”, but additional hospitals are preparing for an influx of patients.

“I think this (surge) is a bit different,” Leon said, citing the amount of preparations made in the summer to secure resources at the facility to handle heavier case loads.

That sentiment was repeated last Tuesday by the county emergency management director Bruce Burton, who assured the supervisory board that the facility had access to sufficient personal protective equipment and arranged excess capacity as needed. ..

Leung said the facility follows a protocol to separate infectious and non-communicable, so residents with significant medical needs of all kinds should not delay care.

The county’s previous hospitalization peak occurred in mid-July. RUHS officials said the current trend would exceed that number in December if it continues.

The county has more than 1,000 general beds and ICU beds, but does not include emergency capacity, where hospital floors are converted into critical care spaces and additional beds are added as needed.

Last week, Public Health Service Director Kim Salwatari said the county’s state-adjusted COVID-19 case rate was 22 per 100,000 three weeks ago, compared to 27.2 per 100,000, state-wide. Said that the positive rate was 9.9%. 8.9%.

The county test level is 300 per 100,000. The revised state threshold for large counties is 272 per 100,000.

Authorities are urging people to avoid Thanksgiving gatherings. Tony Shin reported on NBC4 News on Tuesday, November 24, 2020.

Last month, the California Public Health Service reclassified the county into a purple layer. This is the most restrictive under Governor Gavin Newsom’s safer economic regulatory framework. For about a month, the county was in a slightly less severe red layer. Some reopened entities, such as gyms, restaurants, cinemas and churches, had to be closed again.

Two weeks ago, Newsome placed 28 counties in the purple layer. This assumes a 50% increase in coronavirus cases across the state, and the governor said it was “the fastest increase ever seen.”

He then went one step further and issued a revised executive order mandating a curfew, which began on November 21 in the purple layer county, from 10 pm to 5 am as part of a virus mitigation strategy. did. This order is valid until December 21st. However, many law enforcement agencies have declared that they have no intention of enforcing it.