COVID-19 Hospital Surge: No Sign Of Slowing In Riverside County

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — The coronavirus death toll and hospitalizations continue mounting in Riverside County, just ahead of the Christmas holiday.

The number of deaths stemming from COVID-19 stood at 1,789 Tuesday, an increase of 36 people since the previous day's reporting, according to Riverside University Health System.

COVID-19 hospitalizations countywide were at 1,278 Tuesday, up by 39 patients since Monday. The total figure includes 250 intensive care unit patients, 21 more than Monday.

More than half of the county's ICU beds are now filled with COVID-19 patients, and overall ICU bed capacity remains at zero locally as well as across the Southern California region. Where possible, hospitals are converting their standard beds to accommodate critical patients.

Data models show that at the current rate of COVID-19 hospital admittances in Riverside County, more than half of all hospital beds will be filled with COVID-19 patients in January.

Riverside County has 3,623 licensed hospital beds and 497 ICU beds.

At the Riverside University Medical Center in Moreno Valley, some non-emergency pediatric cases are being referred to Loma Linda University Medical Center to reduce the county hospital's load. Loma Linda University Medical Center Murrieta issued a statement last week that said it was rapidly nearing capacity. A senior official at the hospital called the situation "unsustainable" and urged the public to help prevent virus spread.

The total number of COVID-19 cases recorded countywide since the pandemic began in early March is 151,713, an increase of 1,291 infections since Monday's reporting, according to the Riverside University Health System. More than half of the total cases are active infections. An untold number of residents are likely contagious but are not included in the figure because they have not been tested.

This article originally appeared on the Banning-Beaumont Patch