Riverside County doctors treating just 38 COVID cases, lowest count since start of pandemic
RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KABC) -- In Riverside County, the number of people hospitalized with COVID is at the lowest point since the start of the pandemic.
Currently, doctors are treating 38 patients in the county.
According to the Press Enterprise, the previous low of 44 patients was recorded on March 29 of last year.
That drop likely has to do with vaccines. More than 70 percent of people over the age of 65 in the county are partially or fully vaccinated.
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Also, the number of coronavirus patients under intensive care in Riverside County has fallen to seven -- the lowest figure in more than a year.
The ICU count, which was down three from Friday, marked the lowest since county public health officials began publishing COVID-19 hospital data in April 2020.
A total 4,604 deaths from virus-related complications have been recorded in the last 13 months.
The aggregate number of COVID cases recorded since the public health documentation period began in March 2020 was 300,321, up 75 from Friday.
The number of known active virus cases countywide was 1,046, down 205 from Friday. The active count is derived by subtracting deaths and recoveries from the current total -- 300,321 -- according to the county Executive Office. Verified patient recoveries countywide are at 294,671.
The coronavirus positivity rate is 1.6%, unchanged in the last two weeks, while the state-adjusted case rate is 2.8 per 100,000, based on a rolling seven-day average, compared to 2.7 per 100,000 two weeks ago.
Despite improving metrics, the county has not met the threshold required under the governor's Blueprint for a Safer Economy'' framework to move into the yellow tier. The county's positivity rate now meets that criteria, but the ongoing case rate is required to be 2 per 100,000 or less.
The issue may be moot if restrictions are universally lifted statewide, as planned by the governor barring unforeseen circumstances, on June 15.
The yellow tier designation raises capacity limits for most businesses.
The county entered the orange tier five weeks ago, removing some operational barriers for private and public entities. The county had been in the red tier since March 16, after five months in the most restrictive purple tier.
City News Service contributed to this report.
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