Riverside County reports a record 81 COVID hospitalizations & 73 deaths over the past 24 hours
Case Changes Since Thursday
Riverside County reported 2,211 new cases since Monday, bringing the total to 176,688.
The Coachella Valle reported 256 of the new cases. The valley has a total of 31,300 cases.
Riverside County has the 8th 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 extended in SoCal Region (Including Riverside County)
On Tuesday, California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly confirmed that the stay-at-home order will be extended in the Southern California region.
Ghaly said that the region remains under the required 15% or above ICU bed availability needed to lift the lockdown. The region's current ICU bed availability remains at 0.0%.
Ghaly added that the state's four-week projection do not show that the situation in the region will be improving.
Click here for more details on the 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
1,616,591 tests have been conducted so far, this increased by 15,707 since Monday.
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
Over the past four days, the county reported 73 additional COVID-19 deaths. The total number of deaths is now 1,943.
The valley reported a record 18 of the deaths reported today. There are a total of 496 deaths in the valley.
The following cities reported deaths today:
- Desert Hot Springs - 2
- Palm Springs - 1
- Cathedral City - 2
- Palm Desert - 2
- Indio - 2
- Coachella - 4
- Desert Edge - 1
- Desert Palms - 2
- Garnet - 1
- Thousand Palms - 1
Public Health Director Kim 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 did not update its recoveries over the past 24 hours at the time of this writing. On Monday the county reported 35,934 recoveries since Thursday. There are a total of 110,736 recoveries in Riverside County.
Hospitalizations
Riverside County reported 81 more hospitalizations since Monday, bringing the total up to 1,448.
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 5 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 287 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 12/29/20)
· Bermuda Dunes
Confirmed Cases: 373
Deaths: 4
Recovered: 267
· Cabazon
Confirmed Cases: 173
Deaths: 1
Recovered: 114
· Cathedral City
Confirmed Cases: 4,393
Deaths: 53
Recoveries: 3,024
· Coachella
Confirmed Cases: 5,307
Deaths: 46
Recovered: 3,985
· Desert Edge
Confirmed Cases: 197
Deaths: 6
Recovered: 117
· Desert Hot Springs
Confirmed Cases: 2,498
Deaths: 37
Recovered: 1,747
· Desert Palms
Confirmed Cases: 148
Deaths: 10
Recovered: 89
· Garnet
Confirmed Cases: 553
Deaths: 6
Recovered: 380
· Indian Wells
Confirmed Cases: 125
Deaths: 5
Recovered: 93
· Indio
Confirmed Cases: 7,758
Deaths: 112
Recoveries: 5,664
· La Quinta
Confirmed Cases: 1,999
Deaths: 23
Recovered: 1,370
· Mecca
Confirmed Cases: 783
Deaths: 13
Recovered: 638
· North Shore
Confirmed Cases: 260
Deaths: 2
Recovered: 233
· Oasis
Confirmed Cases: 605
Deaths: 6
Recovered: 482
· Palm Desert
Confirmed Cases: 2,364
Deaths: 69
Recovered: 1,631
· Palm Springs
Confirmed Cases: 2,314
Deaths: 70
Recovered: 1,610
· Rancho Mirage
Confirmed Cases: 596
Deaths: 25
Recovered: 396
· Sky Valley
Confirmed Cases: 111
Deaths: 2
Recovered: 71
· Thermal
Confirmed Cases: 332
Deaths: 4
Recovered: 247
· Thousand Palms
Confirmed Cases: 584
Deaths: 3
Recovered: 410
· County Jails
There are 800 cases in the County's jails, with 1 death, and 548 recoveries.·
· State Jails
There are 4,310 cases in the state's jails and 3,612 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.
