The number of active COVID-19 cases in Imperial County has jumped.

According to information released Tuesday by the Imperial County Public Health Department, there are currently 626 active cases, up from 552 reported on December 7. The number of deaths attributed to the virus has gone from 778 a week ago to 787 Tuesday. There are currently 28 COVID-19 patients in Intensive Care Units between both local hospitals. There were 15 a week ago. The majority of hospitalized COVID-19 patients are unvaccinated and the Delta variant is the predominant strain in the Imperial Valley. Both local hospitals have their staff and facilities strained with the heavy caseloads and have utilized additional beds in temporary facilities in parking lots to accommodate the high number of patients.