The number of COVID-positive patients in Riverside County hospitals continued to drop Friday, and 23 more COVID-related deaths were reported.
According to the Riverside University Health System, COVID hospitalizations countywide were at 1,004 Friday, down 35 from Thursday. Of those patients, 171 were in intensive care, down from 172 a day earlier.
Officials have said some patients entered the hospital for other reasons and only discovered they had COVID after a hospital-mandated test.
The RUHS reported 23 additional COVID-related deaths on Friday, bringing its cumulative pandemic total to 5,835. The fatalities are trailing indicators because of delays processing death certificates and can go back weeks, according to health officials.
The aggregate number of COVID cases recorded in the county since the pandemic began in March 2020 now stands at 447,469.
The number of known active virus cases in the county was 40,356 Friday. The active count is derived by subtracting deaths and recoveries from the current total — 447,469. Verified patient recoveries countywide are 401,278.