James GordonLos Angeles (CBSLA) – Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties reported additional deaths attributed to coronavirus on Tuesday.
A masked couple walks their dog in front of the historic Riverside County Courthouse on 7th Street. The January march. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
The Riverside County Health Authority reported 11,552 new confirmed cases and 44 additional deaths, bringing the total number of cases to 227,827 and 2,294 deaths. Of those who contracted the disease, 149,296 have recovered.
A total of 1,660 coronavirus patients were admitted to hospital on Tuesday, 354 of whom were treated in intensive care – a slight decrease from Monday.
Tents were set up outside the emergency room at Eisenhower Health in southeast Riverside County on Monday to serve more patients.
Unfortunately, it’s like watching a train crash in slow motion because you know exactly what’s going to happen, says Dr. Alan Williamson.
In the county, one in four people has VIDOC-19; in Eisenhower, it’s more like one in three.
We now find that our test positivity rate is over 30 percent, Williamson said.
Jose Arballo Jr. spokesman for the Riverside County Health Department said this week’s alarming spike was a direct result of holiday gatherings.
We asked everyone to think of their loved ones this holiday season, he said. Exactly what we said could happen if we’re not careful.
Overall ICU utilization in the county was 133% on Tuesday, with most patients on ventilators. Riverside Health University converted a storage room into an intensive care unit, and Riverside Community Hospital converted a cafeteria and doubled a private room to accommodate surgeons.
We’re overwhelmed by the numbers, the volume, said Dr. Steven Patterson, an emergency physician at Riverside Community. We do what we can in the ER and ICU to stay positive.
Mr Williamson said that if the projections are confirmed, he expects the hospital to have twice as many patients in the coming months as during the peak period.
The San Bernardino County Health Authority reported 3,121 new confirmed cases and five additional deaths, bringing the total number of deaths in the county to 234,871 and 1,551, respectively. Of those who contracted the disease, 212,158 recovered.
As of Monday, there were 1,692 coronavirus patients hospitalized, 341 of whom were in intensive care – a significant decrease from Sunday.
The Ventura County Health Authority reported 1,326 new confirmed cases and 21 additional deaths, bringing the county’s total to 52,931 cases and 372 deaths. Of those who contracted the disease, 45,636 have recovered and 6,923 are under active quarantine.
On Tuesday, 449 coronavirus patients were admitted to the hospital, 89 of whom were treated in intensive care – two small increases from Monday.
By Tuesday evening, 1,875,458 Riverside County residents, 1,893,665 San Bernardino County residents and 803,685 Ventura County residents had been tested for VIDOC-19.
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James Gordon
