Glitch causes county to underreport new cases despite a high jump in deaths
STATE GLITCH CAUSES UNDERREPORTED CASES
A County Official told News Channel 3 there was an issue gathering data from the state which caused the new-case data to be "severely underreported" today.
Riverside County health officials are working to correct the issue and the correct figures will be reported as soon as the issue is resolved.
As it stands with the glitch, Riverside County reported 16 new cases since Wednesday, bringing the total to 180,553.
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
1,653,692 tests have been conducted so far, this increased by 27,502 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
Over the past 24 hours, the county reported 34 additional COVID-19 deaths. The total number of deaths is now 1,985.
The Coachella Valley reported 14 deaths today, bringing the valley to over 500 COVID deaths. The valley has a total of 513 deaths.
Valley Deaths Today:
- Desert Hot Springs - 1
- Palm Springs - 4
- Cathedral City - 2
- La Quinta - 1
- Indio - 4
- Desert Edge - 1
- Desert 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 reported 4,356 since Wednesday. There are a total of 118,836 recoveries in Riverside County.
Hospitalizations
Riverside County reported 20 fewer hospitalizations since Wednesday, bringing the total up to 1,464.
This is the second time this week that the county reported a decrease in hospitalizations after originally not reporting a single increase since November 5. On Sunday, the county reported 15 fewer hospitalizations.
The county also reported an decrease in ICU patients. There was 1 less patient in the ICU for coronavirus today. The county currently has 296 patients in the ICU.
The current record for ICUs in the county is 297. 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 12/31/20)
· Bermuda Dunes
Confirmed Cases: 387
Deaths: 5
Recovered: 274
· Cabazon
Confirmed Cases: 181
Deaths: 1
Recovered: 119
· Cathedral City
Confirmed Cases: 4,507
Deaths: 55
Recoveries: 3,129
· Coachella
Confirmed Cases: 5,419
Deaths: 46
Recovered: 4,085
· Desert Edge
Confirmed Cases: 199
Deaths: 7
Recovered: 124
· Desert Hot Springs
Confirmed Cases: 2,558
Deaths: 37
Recovered: 1,802
· Desert Palms
Confirmed Cases: 153
Deaths: 11
Recovered: 95
· Garnet
Confirmed Cases: 569
Deaths: 7
Recovered: 391
· Indian Wells
Confirmed Cases: 127
Deaths: 5
Recovered: 95
· Indio
Confirmed Cases: 7,928
Deaths: 116
Recoveries: 5,815
· La Quinta
Confirmed Cases: 2,070
Deaths: 24
Recovered: 1,413
· Mecca
Confirmed Cases: 793
Deaths: 13
Recovered: 654
· North Shore
Confirmed Cases: 262
Deaths: 2
Recovered: 236
· Oasis
Confirmed Cases: 623
Deaths: 6
Recovered: 489
· Palm Desert
Confirmed Cases: 2,443
Deaths: 69
Recovered: 1,686
· Palm Springs
Confirmed Cases: 2,359
Deaths: 74
Recovered: 1,663
· Rancho Mirage
Confirmed Cases: 604
Deaths: 25
Recovered: 404
· Sky Valley
Confirmed Cases: 117
Deaths: 2
Recovered: 76
· Thermal
Confirmed Cases: 334
Deaths: 4
Recovered: 252
· Thousand Palms
Confirmed Cases: 608
Deaths: 4
Recovered: 422
· County Jails
There are 839 cases in the County's jails, with 1 death, and 571 recoveries.·
· State Jails
There are 4,335 cases in the state's jails and 3,653 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.
