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Coronavirus

Riverside County surpasses 1 million tests & 80,000 total cases

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Published 2:07 PM

Case Changes Today

Riverside County reported 1,569 new cases since Wednesday. This brings the total number of cases to 80,011.

The Coachella Valley reported 222 cases over the weekend (17,931 total cases).

Check out the county map below
(Note Data will continue to update past today)

California issues stricter mask mandate, implements 10 p.m. curfew

Governor Newsom's office issued a 10 p.m. curfew for counties in the purple tier, this includes Riverside County.

The curfew went into effect on Saturday and will remain in place until December 21.

Details: California implements 10 p.m. curfew for counties in purple tier

The move means 41 of the state's 58 counties are now in the restrictive "purple" tier, which severely restricts capacity at retail establishments, closes fitness centers and limits restaurants to limited outdoor-only service.

"The virus is spreading at a pace we haven't seen since the start of this pandemic and the next several days and weeks will be critical to stop the surge. We are sounding the alarm," Newsom said. "It is crucial that we act to decrease transmission and slow hospitalizations before the death count surges. We've done it before and we must do it again."

Riverside County has been in the purple tier since Oct. 20 and has continued to move further away from the metrics needed to move into the red tier.

Riverside County metrics this week (Nov. 16)

  • 21.1 new cases per day per 100K (Needs to be between 4-7)
  • 22.4 adjusted case rate (Needs to be between 4-7)
  • 8.9% positivity rate (Needs to be between 5-8%)
  • 8.5% Health equity quartile positivity rate (Needs to be between 5.3-8.0%)

This comes just a few days after the California Department of Public Health issued a stricter mandate requiring people to wear face coverings when outside of the home at all times with few exceptions.

More Details: California issues mandate requiring face coverings at all times when outdoors

Testing

1,026,878 tests have been conducted so far, this increased by 34,814 since Friday.

Riverside County will need to tests at least 52,500 people a week in order to move out of the state's most restrictive tier of reopening.

County officials say that number of tested will allow health experts to identify hotspots of community spread and isolate those who may or may not have symptoms and are unknowingly spreading the disease.

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

Find County Testing Sites

The hours at the Indio testing site have been expanded. Starting Tuesday, the hours of operation will be from 7 a.m. until 2 p.m.

Deaths and Recoveries

The county reported 13 additional COVID-19 death since Friday. The total number of deaths remains at 1,413.

The Coachella Valley reported two deaths since Friday, one in Palm Desert and one in Palm Springs.

Earlier this month, Riverside County Public Health Director Kim 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, also 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 has reported 474 additional recoveries over the same time span. The total number of recoveries is now at 66,087.

Hospitalizations

COVID-related hospitalizations increased by 34 patients over the weekend, bringing the total up to 409. This is the first time hospitalizations have surpassed 400 patients since early August.

The number of COVID patients admitted into the ICU decreased by 3 patients over the weekend. There are currently 96 patients in ICUs across Riverside County.

(Note Data will continue to update past today)

Last week, Eisenhower Health shared an update on how the situation is looking at the hospital.

Chief Operating Officer, Martin Massiello, noted that while current trends are in line with what hospital officials predicted, the Epidemiology Department is predicting that the surge will be worse than the one in July.

Read: Eisenhower COO: Predictions show current surge will be worse than in July

Earlier this month, the hospital published a note to staff from Masiello raising the alarm on a sharp increase of cases at the hospital.

The 7-day percent positivity rate at Eisenhower Health is currently 11%, a 14% increase in the past four days. Just two weeks ago, the percent positivity rate at the hospital was 5%, the highest it had been since August.

Hospitalizations and ICUs are on the rise across the state, according to Secretary of the California Health and Human Services Dr. Mark Ghaly and Governor Newsom.

Coachella Valley Numbers

Cases in Coachella Valley Cities and Communities (As of 11/23/20)

· Bermuda Dunes
Confirmed Cases: 183
Deaths: 3
Recovered: 150

· Cabazon
Confirmed Cases: 81
Deaths: 1
Recovered: 65

· Cathedral City
Confirmed Cases: 2,308
Deaths: 38
Recoveries: 2,072

· Coachella
Confirmed Cases: 3,226
Deaths: 33
Recovered: 2,881

· Desert Edge
Confirmed Cases: 87
Deaths: 5
Recovered: 71

· Desert Hot Springs
Confirmed Cases: 1,386
Deaths: 30
Recovered: 1,187

· Desert Palms
Confirmed Cases: 69
Deaths: 4
Recovered: 50

· Garnet
Confirmed Cases: 272
Deaths: 5
Recovered: 242

· Indian Wells
Confirmed Cases: 69
Deaths: 4
Recovered: 50

· Indio
Confirmed Cases: 4,537
Deaths: 94
Recoveries: 3,979

· La Quinta
Confirmed Cases: 1,067
Deaths: 19
Recovered: 912

· Mecca
Confirmed Cases: 555
Deaths: 11
Recovered: 474

· North Shore
Confirmed Cases: 193
Deaths: 1
Recovered: 153

· Oasis
Confirmed Cases: 413
Deaths: 5
Recovered: 357

· Palm Desert
Confirmed Cases: 1,331
Deaths: 61
Recovered: 1,083

· Palm Springs
Confirmed Cases: 1,346
Deaths: 62
Recovered: 1,135

· Rancho Mirage
Confirmed Cases: 310
Deaths: 25
Recovered: 249

· Sky Valley
Confirmed Cases: 57
Deaths: 2
Recovered: 52

· Thermal
Confirmed Cases: 216
Deaths: 2
Recovered: 194

· Thousand Palms
Confirmed Cases: 307
Deaths: 1
Recovered: 254

· County Jails
There are 499 cases in the County's jails, with 1 death, and 440 recoveries.·

· State Jails
There are 3,532 cases in the state's jails and 2,970 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.

Article Topic Follows: Coronavirus

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