Riverside County COVID Update: Weekly Snapshot

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — The number of COVID-positive patients hospitalized in Riverside County fell again this week, while the total number of vaccinations administered in the county has now surpassed 1.7 million.

According to the Riverside University Health System, 63 people countywide are hospitalized with coronavirus, 14 less than a week ago. The hospitalization figure includes 17 intensive care unit patients, one fewer than a week ago.

RUHS said that the total number of COVID cases recorded since the public health documentation period began in March 2020 is 299,064, up 614 since last Friday.

A total of 4,587 deaths from virus-related complications have been recorded in the last 13 months. Last week's number was 4,574.

The coronavirus positivity rate is 1.9 percent, compared to 2.1 percent last week. The state-adjusted case rate is 3.4 per 100,000 residents, based on a rolling seven-day average. Last week, it was 3.9 per 100,000.

Despite the improving metrics, the county on Tuesday did not meet the threshold required under the state's "Blueprint for a Safer Economy" framework to move into the yellow tier, which requires a positivity rate of less than 2% and an ongoing case rate of 2 per 100,000 or less.

The yellow tier designation raises capacity limits for most businesses. In Southern California, only Los Angeles County has moved into the yellow tier.

Riverside County entered the orange tier three weeks ago, removing some operational barriers for private and public entities. The county had been in the red tier since March 16, after five months in the most restrictive purple tier.

According to the California Department of Public Health, orange criteria permit retail businesses to fully open, while 50 percent attendance caps are supposed to be observed in restaurants, museums, movie theaters and zoos. The guidelines call for gyms, wineries and bars to maintain 25 percent caps.

Since December, the county has administered more than 1.7 million doses of the Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, according to RUHS. The latter one-dose immunization therapy had been briefly suspended under a U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory pertaining to negative reactions among a few patients. But the J&J product became available again over a week ago.

As of Friday, RUHS data show that 35 percent of Riverside County residents 16 and older have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

The portal to make an appointment for a vaccine at county-run and other sites can be accessed via www.rivcoph.org/COVID-19-Vaccine. Anyone who needs assistance may also call the county's 211 helpline.

—City News Service contributed to this report.