The number of COVID-positive patients in Riverside County hospitals continued to decline, although 32 additional deaths linked to the coronavirus were reported in the latest data.
The Riverside University Health System reported 209 hospitalizations Wednesday, down from 220 on Tuesday. Of those patients, 33 were in intensive care, down from 35 one day prior.
The county’s COVID hospitalizations had climbed as high as 1,109 in mid-January during a surge in cases driven by the Omicron variant, but have been steadily declining since then.
On Wednesday, the RUHS reported 32 additional deaths connected to COVID-19, bringing the county’s virus-related death toll to 6,274 since the pandemic began.
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 RUHS also reported 326 new positive COVID tests Wednesday. The aggregate number of COVID-19 cases recorded in the county since the pandemic began is 591,795.
The number of known active virus cases in the county was 40,884 on Wednesday. The active count is derived by subtracting deaths and recoveries from the current total — 591,795. Verified patient recoveries countywide are 544,637.