The number of COVID-positive patients in Riverside County hospitals increased slightly Saturday, rising from 1,055 to 1,060, according to the latest state figures.
The number of those patients in intensive care was 177, up from 170 the previous day.
Some patients may have entered the hospital for other reasons and only discovered they had COVID after a hospital-mandated test.
The Riverside University Health System reported 24 additional COVID-related deaths on Friday, bringing its cumulative pandemic total to 5,730. The fatalities are trailing indicators because of delays processing death certificates and can go back weeks, according to health officials.
Officials said the aggregate number of COVID cases recorded in the county since the pandemic began in March 2020 now stands at 434,065.
The number of known active virus cases in the county was 27,458. The active count is derived by subtracting deaths and recoveries from the current total — 434,065. Verified patient recoveries countywide are 400,877.
The RUHS does not report COVID data on weekends.