The Kern County Public Health Department confirmed Monday 903 new cases of COVID-19 — the highest number of confirmed cases in Kern over a span of three days since the state lifted COVID-19 restrictions in mid-June.

Not only are COVID-19 cases in Kern County rising, so are the number of patients being hospitalized in Kern County hospitals. As of Saturday, 151 patients with COVID-19 were being hospitalized, according to the California Department of Public Health. This is a significant jump from where Kern was at nearly a month ago, when just 34 patients were being hospitalized on July 11, according to CDPH.

Of these patients, 33 are in the intensive care unit, an increase from nearly a month ago when just seven patients were in the ICU on July 11.

Kern County has had a total of 115,910 COVID-19 cases and a total of 1,429 COVID-19 deaths, according to Kern Public Health. Of these deaths, the majority have had underlying health conditions. Some of the most common underlying health conditions include hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Those interested in becoming vaccinated can find a vaccine location near them here: https://phweb.kerncounty.com/Html5Viewer/index.html?viewer=COVID19Vaccination#

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