As federal health officials Wednesday recommended that all vaccinated Americans get COVID-19 booster shots, the number of COVID-positive patients hospitalized in Riverside County continues to increase.
According to data released Tuesday by the Riverside University Health System, the coronavirus hospital count was 515, up 20 from Monday, while the number of intensive care unit patients diagnosed with COVID increased to 104, up nine from the previous day.
As expected, federal health officials Wednesday recommended that all vaccinated Americans get booster shots eight months after they become fully vaccinated. That amounts to a third dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine — and “likely” an additional dose for people who received the one-dose Johnson & Johnson shot.
Those shots could begin the week of Sept. 20, according to a joint statement Wednesday from the Centers for Disease Control and the U.S. Department of Heath and Human Services.
The CDC and HHS said data “make very clear” that protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection begins to decrease over time following the initial doses of vaccination — which prompted their recommendation of booster shots for all.
“Based on our latest assessment, the current protection against severe disease, hospitalization, and death could diminish in the months ahead, especially among those who are at higher risk or were vaccinated during the earlier phases of the vaccination rollout,” the agencies said. “For that reason, we conclude that a booster shot will be needed to maximize vaccine-induced protection and prolong its durability.”
They added: “We have developed a plan to begin offering these booster shots this fall subject to FDA (the Food and Drug Administration) conducting an independent evaluation and determination of the safety and effectiveness of a third dose of the Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccines and CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices issuing booster dose recommendations.”
RUHS said the aggregate number of COVID cases recorded in the county since the public health documentation period began in March 2020 was 322,251. Monday’s number was 320,277.
A total of 4,686 deaths from coronavirus-related complications have been recorded in the last 17 months, unchanged from Monday. The fatalities are trailing indicators because of delays processing death certificates and can go back weeks, according to health officials.
According to RUHS, about 60% of all county residents have either been fully or partially vaccinated.
RUHS is in the process of attempting to collect statistics tied to the number of hospitalizations involving residents who have been partially or fully vaccinated, according to agency spokesman Jose Arballo.
There was no update on the effort Tuesday because the Board of Supervisors did not request a report from the Department of Public Health on COVID data during its meeting.
The number of known active virus cases countywide was 6,732, up 1,462 from a day earlier. The active count is derived by subtracting deaths and recoveries from the current total — 322,251 — according to the county Executive Office. Verified patient recoveries countywide total 310,833.
The recent increase in COVID cases mirrors a nationwide surge, and health officials say the highly contagious Delta variant has helped fuel the escalation, as well as the relaxation of lockdown measures in June.
Information on vaccination is available via www.rivcoph.org/coronavirus.