Riverside County reaches lowest ever number of COVID patients in intensive care

Over the past 24 hours, Riverside County reported 3 fewer ICU patients with COVID-19. This brings the current total number of patients to 11, a new all-time low for ICUs in the county. The county's previous record low was 13 patients which was set on the first day data was being recorded for the pandemic, March 29, 2020.

Hospitalizations

The number of COVID-related hospitalizations did not change over the past 24 hours. The total remains 54. The county is also approaching a record low number of hospitalizations. The previous record was 44 set on March 29, 2020.

The SoCal region's ICU availability percentage is at 33.9%. The state's four-week projection has the availability going up to 35.4%.

300,000 total cases

On Tuesday, Riverside County also surpassed 300,000 total coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic. The county reported 186 new cases over the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of cases up to 300,039.

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

Metrics Update

Riverside County's metrics increased very slightly this week, pushing a potential move to the yellow tier further back.

• 2.8 adjusted case rate (Last week - 2.7)
• 1.6% positivity rate (Last Week - 1.6%)
• 1.9% health equity rate (Last Week - 1.8%)

California is set to lift most restrictions on June 15. On Monday, California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly announced that the state will implement the CDC's new face covering guidance starting June 15. This means vaccinated people will no longer need to wear masks in most situations.

Full Details: CA to keep mask mandate through June 15 in 'continued focus on protecting the public's health'

Riverside County COVID Vaccine Appointments

According to Riverside County, 49.0% of the county's population (or 954,782 people) are either partially of fully vaccinated. 38.2% of the population, or 744,095 residents, are fully vaccinated.

COVID vaccine clinics are open across Riverside County for all residents 16 and older. You can schedule an appointment at: https://www.rivcoph.org/COVID-19-Vaccine. 

Seniors who need assistance can dial 2-1-1.

Those who register must show proof of age/employment at the time of appointment.

Residents under 18 must have a parent or guardian with them when arriving to their vaccine appointment.

Check Out: Riverside County expands COVID vaccine eligibility to those 16 & older

On Monday, the FDA gave approval for the Pfizer vaccine to be used for 12- to 15-year-olds. The CDC still needs to give final approval before this can go forward. The CDC board will be meeting on Wednesday.

Riverside County Public Health Officer Dr. Geoffrey Leung said that the county would need to await for state approval before being able to move forward.

Download the News Channel 3 app on the Apple Store or Google Play to get alerts on when new appointments or vaccine clinics are available.

Testing

Riverside County have conducted 3,051,518 coronavirus tests since the pandemic began.

County health officials are urging the public to continue getting tested, which helps slow the spread of the virus and may contribute to Riverside County moving into the next tier.

Where 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

Deaths and Recoveries

Riverside County reported 5 additional COVID-19 death since Monday. The total number of deaths is now 4,598.

Riverside County reported 4 recoveries since Monday. There are a total of 294,018 recoveries in Riverside County.

Cases in Coachella Valley Cities and Communities (As of 05/17/21)

· Bermuda Dunes
Confirmed Cases: 651
Deaths: 10
Recovered: 637

· Cabazon
Confirmed Cases: 326
Deaths: 7
Recovered: 318

· Cathedral City
Confirmed Cases: 7,137
Deaths: 111
Recoveries: 6,998

· Coachella
Confirmed Cases: 7,925
Deaths: 97
Recovered: 7,801

· Desert Edge
Confirmed Cases: 344
Deaths: 16
Recovered: 328

· Desert Hot Springs
Confirmed Cases: 4,229
Deaths: 73
Recovered: 4,139

· Desert Palms
Confirmed Cases: 258
Deaths: 24
Recovered: 234

· Garnet
Confirmed Cases: 897
Deaths: 19
Recovered: 876

· Indian Wells
Confirmed Cases: 197
Deaths: 6
Recovered: 191

· Indio
Confirmed Cases: 12,337
Deaths: 223
Recoveries: 12,063

· La Quinta
Confirmed Cases: 3,437
Deaths: 61
Recovered: 3,360

· Mecca
Confirmed Cases: 1,134
Deaths: 19
Recovered: 1,115

· North Shore
Confirmed Cases: 358
Deaths: 1
Recovered: 357

· Oasis
Confirmed Cases: 881
Deaths: 9
Recovered: 872

· Palm Desert
Confirmed Cases: 3,967
Deaths: 118
Recovered: 3,828

· Palm Springs
Confirmed Cases: 3,754
Deaths: 125
Recovered: 3,616

· Rancho Mirage
Confirmed Cases: 1,105
Deaths: 50
Recovered: 1,049

· Sky Valley
Confirmed Cases: 223
Deaths: 5
Recovered: 218

· Thermal
Confirmed Cases: 476
Deaths: 9
Recovered: 463

· Thousand Palms
Confirmed Cases: 1,049
Deaths: 9
Recovered: 1,039

· County Jails
There are 939 cases in the County's jails, with 1 death, and 935 recoveries.·

· State Jails
There are 5,473 cases in the state's jails and 5,467 recoveries.