Vendor at Rancho Mirage nursing home tests positive for coronavirus

Officials announced Thursday that a vendor at the Rancho Mirage Health and Rehabilitation Center tested positive for coronavirus.

The vendor is a woman in her 30s who remains in self-isolation at home. She is expected to recover.

This is the second case found at the Rancho Mirage Health and Rehabilitation Center. The first person at the facility was pronounced dead last week.

Riverside County Public Health immediately tested 140 employees and vendors, as well as 94 residents after the first case was found in a former facility resident.

“Unfortunately, as testing expands, so will the number of positive cases,” said Dr. Cameron Kaiser, Riverside County public health officer. “We are working diligently to ensure those who may have been exposed are taken care of, but we know COVID-19 is present in the community, and there will be more cases.”

Riverside County has six additional cases, including the employee from the skilled nursing facility. This brings the total number of cases in Riverside County to 22.

13 cases are in the Coachella Valley, four in western Riverside County, three in southwestern Riverside County and two from the Diamond Princess cruise.

The Rancho Mirage Health and Rehabilitation Center 99-bed facility is near Country Club Drive and Monterey Avenue.

According to its most recent health inspection report, the nursing-home facility received at least 17 health citations last year.

The state average is just under 13, and the US average is eight. Each of the facility's citations was noted as minimal, affecting "some" or "few" patients, and included poor respiratory care management and poor cleanliness.

The facility's administrator has said they are working closely with the county's public health department.

This comes as nursing homes around the nation begin to restrict visitors to try to protect residents from the rapidly-spreading disease.

Stay with News Channel 3 for any updates.