Nearly every bed in the licensed intensive care unit in Riverside County was full as of Saturday, June 27, and about one in four was occupied by a coronavirus patient, according to county public health statistics. .
Data published on the county’s public health website showed that 98.7% of ICU beds were in use on Saturday. The number was 84.7% on June 19. In total, 380 beds in the ICU were occupied on Sunday, June 28, 3.8% more than the previous day.
Only five licensed beds in the ICU were available as of Sunday, county spokeswoman Brooke Federico said by email.
COVID-19 patients account for 28% of ICU beds in use, Federico said, and 23 other ICU patients are suspected of having the virus.
“As part of hospital emergency plans, hospitals will convert some of their regular beds to ICU beds,” said Federico. “Hospitals pledged to increase their capacity above and beyond their regularly licensed beds by at least the state’s 35 percent low. Many hospitals can increase much more than this number. “
Licensed beds are the regular and ICU beds of a hospital allowed by the state. In circumstances like these, hospitals can convert regular beds to ICU beds or add beds to handle a surge.
According to Federico, 63% of all county general hospital beds were in use as of Saturday, up from 67.4% the previous day. COVID-19 hospitalizations accounted for 9.4% of all patients hospitalized on Saturday.
The county also appears to have enough ventilators for now, which are vital to keeping critically ill COVID-19 patients alive. While fan usage on Saturday increased 10% from the previous day, 499 fans were still available, according to county statistics.
The ICU’s lack of capacity occurs when the county has seen an increase in confirmed cases of coronavirus in recent weeks. Currently, the county is on the state’s coronavirus watch list, a state that could compel the county to take steps such as closing businesses to limit the spread of the virus.
Representative Raúl Ruiz, a D-Palm Desert physician, called on the county to reinstate local public health orders rescinded in May, including a mandate to cover their faces and distance themselves socially. The county, like the rest of California, is currently subject to a state face coverage order.
“Wearing masks and social distancing are the most effective ways to reduce the spread of the coronavirus,” said Ruiz, whose district includes El Paso, Hemet, San Jacinto and the Coachella Valley, in an emailed statement.
“It will take at least two weeks to see the results of any action taken today, so these measures must be implemented immediately. Any delay will only prolong the increase and cause many more people to become infected, sick, and possibly die. ”
