The number of COVID-positive patients in Riverside County hospitals declined below 200 in its latest data, although 11 additional deaths linked to the coronavirus were reported.
The Riverside University Health System reported 194 hospitalizations Thursday, down from 209 on Wednesday. Of those patients, 31 were in intensive care, down from 33 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 Thursday, the RUHS reported 11 additional deaths connected to COVID-19, bringing the county’s virus-related death toll to 6,285 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 361 new positive COVID tests Thursday. The aggregate number of COVID-19 cases recorded in the county since the pandemic began is 592,156.
The number of known active virus cases in the county was 40,013 Thursday. The active count is derived by subtracting deaths and recoveries from the current total — 592,156. Verified patient recoveries countywide are 545,858.