COVID-19 hospitalizations still at very high levels in Southwest County

It’s little surprise: while COVID-19 hospitalizations are down at some local hospitals, they rose at others in the latest data released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and coronavirus patients continue to make up an extraordinary percentage of those hospitalized in Riverside and San Diego counties.

Coronavirus patients are in fact a majority of patients at all Southwest Riverside County hospitals except one, as well as at Palomar Medical Center Escondido, the closest San Diego County hospital to Fallbrook.

Per the data released by federal health officials on Jan. 24, avera...