The number of coronavirus patients in Riverside County hospitals has declined to 42, down from 47 last weekend, according to the latest state data released Saturday.
Meanwhile, the statewide total of COVID-positive patients has dropped to 1,149, down by 27 people from the previous day and down considerably from more than 4,600 at the end of last year.
Some of the hospitalized patients were admitted for other reasons and learned they had COVID after a mandated test.
The county recorded another 270 cases of COVID-19 and three additional deaths associated with the virus this week, down from 305 cases and no deaths the previous week, according to the Riverside University Health System.
That brings the county’s total numbers to 740,184 cases and 6,888 fatalities.
A majority of people who die with COVID-19 are elderly or have an underlying health condition such as diabetes, heart disease or hypertension, health officials have said.
The county’s test positivity rate was 3%, down from 3.6%, 4.2%, 4.6% and 5.3% the previous four weeks.
The RUHS provides updated COVID data for Riverside County every Thursday.