Illustrating a trend seen across the nation, the age bracket with the largest amount of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Riverside County is between the ages of 18 and 39, comprising 11,803 total infections, according to county health officials.
To date, most of the fatalities in Riverside County, which has the second-most cases and deaths in California behind only Los Angeles County, have been people between the ages of 65 and 84.
Riverside County health officials Thursday reported 806 more confirmed coronavirus infections, and eight more deaths attributed to the coronavirus, as the number of patients being treated for COVID-19 in county facilities dropped by more than a dozen.
The aggregate coronavirus count countywide is now 28,177, and the death toll is 585, according to the Riverside University Health System. The documentation period for the data stretches back to early March.
The known active COVID-19 case count Thursday was 17,321, up 640 from Wednesday. According to the county Executive Office, the active case count is derived by subtracting deaths and recoveries from the current cumulative total, 28,177.
The number of confirmed patient recoveries is 10,271, officials said. The county defines a recovery as someone who has not exhibited any COVID-19 symptoms for at least 14 days.
County Department of Public Health Director Kim Saruwatari told the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday that the average positivity rate for those screened for the virus countywide is at 20%, two and a half times the preferred state threshold of 8%.
“The high positivity rate is something we continue to watch,” Saruwatari said.
The doubling time — or the number of days in which documented virus cases increase 100% — is now at 24 days as of Wednesday. A doubling rate of seven days is considered severe.
There are now 531 people hospitalized for COVID-19 in medical facilities countywide, down 17 from Wednesday, including 134 patients in intensive care units, which is down seven from Wednesday’s figures, according to RUHS data. This includes non-Riverside County residents who are being treated in area hospitals.
Emergency Management Department Director Bruce Barton told the board last week that of the county’s 17 hospitals, six are operating at maximum capacity. But they are “not overwhelmed” because all the medical facilities are able to add spare cushion on short notice, exceeding licensed capacities by 30% if necessary, as happened during the 2017 flu outbreak, he said.
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced an executive order Monday directing that indoor activity in gyms, hair salons, houses of worship, malls and non-critical offices be stopped. The order affects all 30 counties on the state’s pandemic monitoring list — including Riverside, Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties.
The state has documented record numbers of infections in recent days, along with increasing hospitalizations. As of Thursday, 6,777 people were hospitalized across the state due to the coronavirus.