Riverside County reports 1,276 new cases, 24 deaths, & 8 more ICU patients since Wednesday
Case Changes
Riverside County reported 1,276 new cases since Wednesday, bringing the total to 158,110.
The county has the second-highest of the state's new COVID-19 cases per day per 100K metric. This week, the county has 120.4 new cases per day per 100K, up from 92.2 last week.
Other counties with more than 100.0 of that metric are:
- San Bernardino County (149.4) - Highest in the state
- Imperial (118.23)
- Lassen (104.1)
- Los Angeles (106.0)
Riverside County has the 9th most cases among counties across the United States, according to John Hopkins University.
Check out the county map below
(Note Data will continue to update past today)
Stay-at-home Order in place in Southern California Region (Including Riverside County)
The ICU bed availability in the Southern California region remains under 15% (Currently 0.0%), meaning the stay-at-home order remains in effect.
On Monday, Governor Newsom said the order is likely to be extended beyond its current expiration date of Dec. 28 due to continued surge of COVID-19 cases.
Click here for more details on the new order
Barbershops and hair salons are now closed, restaurants are limited to take-out and delivery only, and capacity inside retail stores and shopping centers is maxed at 20%.
Hotels and lodging are able to stay remain open for critical infrastructure support, as can offices. Schools with waivers will be allowed to remain open. Places of worship are restricted to outdoor only services.
The following businesses/recreational facilities will be required to close:
-- indoor and outdoor playgrounds;
-- indoor recreational facilities;
-- hair salons and barbershops;
-- personal care services;
-- museums, zoos, and aquariums;
-- movie theaters;
-- wineries;
-- bars, breweries and distilleries;
-- family entertainment centers;
-- cardrooms and satellite wagering;
-- limited services;
-- live audience sports; and
-- amusement parks
Stay up-to-date with the latest local coronavirus news, including reopenings and closing, new case data, live news conferences, and other updates at KESQ.com/Coronavirus or download the News Channel 3 app on the Apple Store and Google Play.
Testing
1,534,408 tests have been conducted so far, this increased by 43,010 since Wednesday.
How to get tested
Remember, you can get tested even if you do not have symptoms. Testing is available to all county residents.
You are now able to get a free test at many Rite-Aids in the area. Click here for a full list of stores and to schedule your appointment.
Click here to find the closest testing site to you
The hours at the Indio testing site have been expanded. The hours of operation runs from 7 a.m. until 2 p.m.
Deaths and Recoveries
Today, the county reported 24 additional COVID-19 deaths. The total number of deaths is now 1,829.
During Tuesday's board of supervisor meeting, Saruwatari noted that an analysis into suicides & overdoses in Riverside County revealed that suicides are down about 27% in the county, however, overdoses are up 19%. Most of the increase is in the 15-24 year-old age group, Saruwatari told Supervisors. 96% of the overdoses are unintentional.
In November, Saruwatari reported that COVID-19 is the third leading cause of death in Riverside County in 2020.
Cancer and heart disease, also leading causes of death in Riverside County, increased in 2020, as did COVID-19.
"It's not that we are detracting from our other leading causes of death and adding to COVID. We are seeing a true increase in death due to COVID," Saruwatari said.
Full Details: COVID-19 is the third leading cause of death in Riverside County in 2020
Riverside County reported 354 recoveries since Wednesday. There are a total of 74,802 recoveries in Riverside County.
Hospitalizations
Riverside County continued to report an increase in hospitalizations, however, today was one of the lowest increases in a few weeks.
Hospitalizations increased by 5 patients over the past 24 hours, bringing the total up to 1,327.
Hospitalizations have continued to increase in the county since Nov. 5. On Nov. 5, Riverside County had 201 hospitalizations. By Dec. 7, hospitalizations had gone up to 700. On Dec. 16, Riverside County reached 1,000 hospitalizations.
This is the most coronavirus-related patients in Riverside County in a single time since the start of the pandemic. The previous peak prior to this surge was 550 hospitalizations back in late July.
The county also reported an increase in ICU patients. There were 8 more patients in the ICU for coronavirus today.
The increase means that the county once again has a new record high for patients in the ICU. With today's increase, the new record is 255 patients. The previous record before this surge was set back on July 30 with 167 patients.
(Note Data will continue to update past today)
This comes as the county's ICU bed availability percentage remains at 0%, meaning hospitals are in their surge plans. Hospitals are converting rooms to make room for more patients.
Full Story: What Riverside County will need to do to avert 'unsustainable' overwhelming of hospitals
Coachella Valley Numbers
Cases in Coachella Valley Cities and Communities (As of 12/23/20)
According to the county, the data for cities and communities will not be updated until Dec. 28
· Bermuda Dunes
Confirmed Cases: 329
Deaths: 4
Recovered: 166
· Cabazon
Confirmed Cases: 146
Deaths: 1
Recovered: 71
· Cathedral City
Confirmed Cases: 4,010
Deaths: 48
Recoveries: 2,218
· Coachella
Confirmed Cases: 4,871
Deaths: 40
Recovered: 3,083
· Desert Edge
Confirmed Cases: 184
Deaths: 7
Recovered: 80
· Desert Hot Springs
Confirmed Cases: 2,282
Deaths: 33
Recovered: 1,310
· Desert Palms
Confirmed Cases: 130
Deaths: 7
Recovered: 58
· Garnet
Confirmed Cases: 506
Deaths: 5
Recovered: 260
· Indian Wells
Confirmed Cases: 120
Deaths: 5
Recovered: 57
· Indio
Confirmed Cases: 7,074
Deaths: 105
Recoveries: 4,300
· La Quinta
Confirmed Cases: 1,792
Deaths: 23
Recovered: 1,001
· Mecca
Confirmed Cases: 737
Deaths: 12
Recovered: 521
· North Shore
Confirmed Cases: 252
Deaths: 2
Recovered: 185
· Oasis
Confirmed Cases: 563
Deaths: 6
Recovered: 391
· Palm Desert
Confirmed Cases: 2,142
Deaths: 67
Recovered: 1,197
· Palm Springs
Confirmed Cases: 2,091
Deaths: 69
Recovered: 1,254
· Rancho Mirage
Confirmed Cases: 543
Deaths: 25
Recovered: 275
· Sky Valley
Confirmed Cases: 94
Deaths: 2
Recovered: 54
· Thermal
Confirmed Cases: 308
Deaths: 4
Recovered: 208
· Thousand Palms
Confirmed Cases: 542
Deaths: 2
Recovered: 284
· County Jails
There are 709 cases in the County's jails, with 1 death, and 483 recoveries.·
· State Jails
There are 3,889 cases in the state's jails and 3,459 recoveries.
Symptoms
- Fever or chills
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Fatigue
- Muscle or body aches
- Headache
- New loss of taste or smell
- Sore throat
- Congestion or runny nose
- Nausea or vomiting
- Diarrhea
These symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus, according to the CDC.
You can call the Centers for Disease Control with any questions at 211 and 800–CDC –INFO (800 – 232 – 4636).
If you want to be seen at Eisenhower Health, call their coronavirus hotline first at 760-837-8988 or 760-TEST988 with is open every day from 7 am to 7 pm. Avoid the spread of this illness.
If you are experiencing a medical emergency, call 911.
Stay with News Channel 3 for continuing updates.
