Riverside County reports record single-day COVID deaths as ICUs continue to fill up

By Jesus Reyes

Published December 15, 2020 1:42 PM

Over the past 24 hours, Riverside County reported 42 COVID-related deaths. It's the highest amount of deaths reported by the county over a day span. The previous record was on August 2, when the county reported 31 deaths, county public health director Kim Saruwatari told the Board of Supervisors Tuesday morning.

Saruwatari added that 37 of the 42 deaths reported today occurred between Dec. 1 and Dec. 10.

Meanwhile, the number of COVID patients admitted into the ICU continued to grow even as the County's ICU bed availability percentage remains at 0.0%.

According to leaders for Eisenhower Health & the Desert Care Network, hospitals are now in the surge plans where rooms get converted to make space for ICU patients.

Read: Riverside County ICU bed availability plunges to 0.0%; What that means moving forward

This comes as Eisenhower Health reported a new record for COVID patients, passing the previous record set during the summer surge.

County officials say the first batch of the vaccine is expected to arrive on Friday, Dec. 18.

“Its a good news situation at a time when there is plenty of not so great news when it comes to the numbers and impact of the pandemic on our community," said Jose Arballo Jr, public information specialist for Riverside County Health.

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.

Case Changes Today

Riverside County reported new 972 cases since Monday, bringing the total to 120,665.

Saruwatari says the positivity rate has more than doubled over the month, going from 7.5% (On Nov. 14) to 18.4% (Dec. 14).

***The county reported nearly 11,000 cases on Tuesday, mostly due to a backlog according to officials***

Riverside County was the 11th county in the United States to surpass 100,000 total cases, 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 1.7%), meaning the stay-at-home order remains in effect.

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

Testing

1,335,227 tests have been conducted so far, this increased by 28,897 over the past 24 hours.

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. The hours of operation runs from 7 a.m. until 2 p.m.

Deaths and Recoveries

As mentioned above, the county reported 42 additional COVID-19 death since Tuesday. The total number of deaths is now 1,628.

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 has reported 1,009 additional recoveries over the same time span. The total number of recoveries is now at 71,049.

Hospitalizations

COVID-related hospitalizations increased by 42 patients since Monday, bringing the total up to 972. 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. A week later, the county passed 900 patients.

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 reported 11 more COVID-19 patients in the ICU. This brings the total to 195 the highest number of COVID patients in the ICU since the start of the pandemic.

The previous record being set back on July 30 with 167 patients.

(Note Data will continue to update past today)

Coachella Valley Numbers

Cases in Coachella Valley Cities and Communities (As of 12/15/20)

· Bermuda Dunes
Confirmed Cases: 266
Deaths: 4
Recovered: 158

· Cabazon
Confirmed Cases: 119
Deaths: 1
Recovered: 70

· Cathedral City
Confirmed Cases: 3,154
Deaths: 44
Recoveries: 2,157

· Coachella
Confirmed Cases: 4,070
Deaths: 36
Recovered: 2,994

· Desert Edge
Confirmed Cases: 122
Deaths: 5
Recovered: 78

· Desert Hot Springs
Confirmed Cases: 1,832
Deaths: 31
Recovered: 1,262

· Desert Palms
Confirmed Cases: 99
Deaths: 6
Recovered: 55

· Garnet
Confirmed Cases: 387
Deaths: 5
Recovered: 256

· Indian Wells
Confirmed Cases: 99
Deaths: 4
Recovered: 53

· Indio
Confirmed Cases: 5,929
Deaths: 103
Recoveries: 4,167

· La Quinta
Confirmed Cases: 1,422
Deaths: 22
Recovered: 956

· Mecca
Confirmed Cases: 648
Deaths: 13
Recovered: 498

· North Shore
Confirmed Cases: 236
Deaths: 1
Recovered: 170

· Oasis
Confirmed Cases: 499
Deaths: 6
Recovered: 383

· Palm Desert
Confirmed Cases: 1,753
Deaths: 66
Recovered: 1,142

· Palm Springs
Confirmed Cases: 1,718
Deaths: 67
Recovered: 1,196

· Rancho Mirage
Confirmed Cases: 424
Deaths: 25
Recovered: 265

· Sky Valley
Confirmed Cases: 75
Deaths: 2
Recovered: 53

· Thermal
Confirmed Cases: 263
Deaths: 3
Recovered: 203

· Thousand Palms
Confirmed Cases: 433
Deaths: 2
Recovered: 267

· County Jails
There are 660 cases in the County's jails, with 1 death, and 476 recoveries.·

· State Jails
There are 3,636 cases in the state's jails and 3,293 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.

Article Topic Follows: Coronavirus

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