100 Percent Of Riverside County ICU Beds In Use As Officials Work To Convert Regular Beds For Patient Care
RIVERSIDE (CBSLA) -- Riverside County health officials said this weekend that 100% of its currently operable intensive care unit beds are in use.
A health department spokesperson said 10 out of 17 hospitals in Riverside County are at or above capacity during the coronavirus pandemic.
The county currently has 385 ICU beds and just over 30% are being used by coronavirus patients. Throughout Riverside County, 74% of all hospital beds are full, and some regular beds are in the process of being converted to ICU beds.
County officials said no patient will go without proper care as the county deals with an increase in coronavirus cases.
"It's specialized care. The machinery involved, the equipment involved, the personnel involved, the staffing level involved, are all more significant with ICU beds," Riverside County Health Department spokesperson Joe Arballo said. "So you may have the ability at some of these hospitals that they have the equipment of supplies, but the staffing levels are where we're having some of our challenges."
Officials say the number of ER visits and 911 calls are also increasing in the county and that they're reaching out to the county, state, and health partners for help.
As of Friday, July 10, Riverside County has reported a total of 24,765 confirmed cases, 537 deaths, and 526 hospitalizations, including 116 ICU patients. Officials said a total of 276,634 people have been tested in the county and 9,367 recoveries have been documented.
