COVID-19 hospitalizations rising faster in the Inland Empire, new data show
Most of California is seeing more hospitalizations, but the increase is sharper in Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 is rising throughout Southern California - with the highest increases in the Inland Empire, according to the latest state data.
Eyewitness News analyzed the most recent data issued by the California Department of Public Health, focusing on 7-day average hospitalizations.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the entire state is seeing about a 4% increase of COVID hospitalizations from its 7-day average two weeks before, but the concern lies in the Inland Empire.
In Riverside County, on average, about 261 people have gotten hospitalized for the virus within a 7-day period, which is up 15% from two weeks ago.
The county's most recent lowest 7-day average was just before Halloween on Oct. 29.
San Bernardino County's 7-day average number of COVID hospitalizations is about 298, indicating a 10% increase from two weeks ago.
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On Tuesday, the state was reporting 240 hospitalizations in Riverside County alone and 319 in San Bernardino. State data shows both counties have lower vaccination rates that other Southern California counties.
Just about half of each county's total population is fully vaccinated compared to Los Angeles County, which is at about two-thirds, state data shows.
In L.A. County, hospitalizations are also rising, but at a slower rate. The most recent state numbers show 620 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in the county, and a 7-day average of about 648. That's a 5% increase from the 7-day average two weeks ago.
Orange and Ventura counties are seeing a slightly higher increase in hospitalizations than Los Angeles, even with similar vaccination rates. But as the graph above shows, Orange county is increasing slower than the Inland Empire counties and Ventura County is more variable day-to-day and week-to-week.
According to the state's COVID tracking website, between Oct. 11-17, unvaccinated people were 9.5 times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 than fully vaccinated people.
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