The number of COVID-positive patients in Riverside County hospitals dropped by one to 910 Wednesday, but county officials reported eight additional deaths associated with the coronavirus.
Of the hospitalized patients, 167 were in intensive care, four less than the previous day, according to the Riverside University Health System.
Not all COVID-positive patients were admitted due to the virus. Officials have said some patients entered hospitals for other reasons and only discovered they had COVID after a hospital-mandated test.
The eight fatalities reported Wednesday by the RUHS brought the county’s cumulative pandemic death toll to 5,918.
Fatalities are considered trailing indicators because of delays processing death certificates, meaning some deaths may have actually occurred weeks ago, according to health officials.
The aggregate number of COVID-19 cases recorded in the county since the pandemic began in March 2020 is 455,527.
The number of known active virus cases in the county was 48,102 Wednesday. The active count is derived by subtracting deaths and recoveries from the current total — 455,527. Verified patient recoveries countywide are 401,507.