Riverside County reports 50% increase in COVID ICU patients since Friday
For the second week in a row, Riverside County reported a 50 percent increase in COVID patients admitted into the intensive care unit.
The county reported 15 patients admitted into the ICU since Friday, bringing the total up to 47. That's the most patients in the ICU since March 15, 2021.
There was also a sizeable increase in COVID-related hospitalizations since Friday. Riverside County reported 24 additional hospitalizations over the past three days, bringing the total up to 190. It's the most COVID hospitalizations in Riverside County since March 17, 2021.
Riverside County started off July with 48 hospitalizations and 13 ICU patients.
Riverside County reported an increase of 394 cases since Friday. This brings the total number of COVID cases in the county to 305,589.
The county now reports a case rate of 10.4 per 100K. This would mean that if the state's four color-tier system was still around, the county would be in the "purple" tier, which was the most restrictive of the county's tiers.
County officials told News Channel 3 on July 13 that the current increase in cases and hospitalizations isn't believed to be related to the Fourth of July weekend, but the June 15th reopening of the state.
Riverside County hasn't reported many cases of the Delta variant among residents as of July 21, however, the county does note that "there is a lag in the data of up to a month or more due to the time required for laboratories to sequence and report variant cases to the Public Health Department."
State projections show that there could be another surge in cases, potentially peaking in the fall. Health experts say the surge is being fueled by the Delta variant and unvaccinated Americans.
"We're definitely seeing a very disturbing prediction there that we will see another major wave of cases peaking in the fall, late September to October, that looks to be roughly two-thirds of the size of the worst search that we had this past winter, January through March," said Dr. Alan Williamson, Eisenhower Health’s Chief Medical Officer.
Health officials note that while the projections are disturbing, there is still a chance to change what happens in the months ahead. However, Williamson notes that masks and social distancing aren't going to be enough, vaccinations are the way to prevent the surge.
"Vaccination is clearly the thing that's going to make the difference," Williamson noted.
1,190,428 Riverside County residents are either partially or full vaccinated, That's 56% of the county's eligible population.
49.1% of the county's population, or 1,033,988 residents, are full vaccinated.
COVID vaccine clinics are open across Riverside County for all residents 16 and older. You can schedule an appointment at: https://www.rivcoph.org/COVID-19-Vaccine.
Seniors who need assistance can dial 2-1-1. Those who register must show proof of age/employment at the time of appointment. Residents under 18 must have a parent or guardian with them when arriving to their vaccine appointment.
Riverside County reported 0 additional COVID-19 deaths over the weekend. The total remains at 4,658. The number of recoveries in Riverside County increased by 528, bringing the total up to 298,029.
Cases in Coachella Valley Cities and Communities (As of 07/21/21)
County officials noted that while the main numbers will be updated daily once again, the county map showing cases in cities will continue to only be updated on Wednesdays.
· Bermuda Dunes
Confirmed Cases: 677
Deaths: 10
Recovered: 660
· Cabazon
Confirmed Cases: 331
Deaths: 7
Recovered: 321
· Cathedral City
Confirmed Cases: 7,218
Deaths: 113
Recoveries: 7,072
· Coachella
Confirmed Cases: 7,991
Deaths: 97
Recovered: 7,872
· Desert Edge
Confirmed Cases: 351
Deaths: 16
Recovered: 331
· Desert Hot Springs
Confirmed Cases: 4,314
Deaths: 74
Recovered: 4,206
· Desert Palms
Confirmed Cases: 266
Deaths: 25
Recovered: 240
· Garnet
Confirmed Cases: 899
Deaths: 20
Recovered: 871
· Indian Wells
Confirmed Cases: 201
Deaths: 6
Recovered: 193
· Indio
Confirmed Cases: 12,486
Deaths: 226
Recoveries: 12,204
· La Quinta
Confirmed Cases: 3,515
Deaths: 59
Recovered: 3,435
· Mecca
Confirmed Cases: 1,137
Deaths: 19
Recovered: 1,114
· North Shore
Confirmed Cases: 361
Deaths: 1
Recovered: 360
· Oasis
Confirmed Cases: 895
Deaths: 8
Recovered: 885
· Palm Desert
Confirmed Cases: 4,056
Deaths: 119
Recovered: 3,894
· Palm Springs
Confirmed Cases: 3,855
Deaths: 129
Recovered: 3,677
· Rancho Mirage
Confirmed Cases: 1,124
Deaths: 50
Recovered: 1,063
· Sky Valley
Confirmed Cases: 227
Deaths: 5
Recovered: 221
· Thermal
Confirmed Cases: 477
Deaths: 9
Recovered: 465
· Thousand Palms
Confirmed Cases: 1,066
Deaths: 9
Recovered: 1,054
· County Jails
There are 948 cases in the County's jails, with 1 death, and 940 recoveries.·
· State Jails
There are 5,479 cases in the County's jails, with 1 death, and 5,464 recoveries.
Stay with News Channel 3 for continuing coronavirus updates.
