The number of coronavirus cases in Riverside County jumped by 209 and the death toll increased by 10, bringing the total to 2,847 cases and 85 deaths, according to figures reported Monday.
The new data come just a day after the county reported 36 new cases on Sunday, which is the lowest number of cases in a single day since April 4, when 27 were reported. There are 116 confirmed cases in Riverside County jails, according to records.
The city of Riverside has the most deaths in the county with 16. Moreno Valley is next with 11 deaths.
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Riverside County medical personnel help each other with their protective gear at a drive-though coronavirus testing facility for Coachella Valley residents in Indian Wells on March 24. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Medical staff carry patients’ belongings during evacuation at the Magnolia Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, where 39 people tested positive for the coronavirus, on April 7. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Gurpreet Singh, left, and Balwinder Sidhu deliver meal boxes at a food distribution organized by United Sikh Mission and the Sikh Community of Riverside at Sikh Gurdwara. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)
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Patients are removed from the Magnolia Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Riverside on April 7 after five employees and 34 patients tested positive for the coronavirus and staff failed to show up to work. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Erick Borjas uses an electrostatic disinfectant to clean the surgical ward of a medical facility in Riverside County on April 15. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Protesters who want the public health orders rescinded, rally at the County Administrative Center where the Riverside County Board of Supervisors were meeting in Riverside. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
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Residents who want public health orders rescinded attend an emergency meeting of the Riverside County Board of Supervisors at the County Administrative Center in Riverside. Type written notes are placed on chairs to keep people from sitting near each other. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
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Traveling nurse Gail Cunningham waves thanks as residents pay tribute to her and her medical personnel during a drive-by rally honoring frontline heroes at the Emergency Room entrance to Riverside University Health System in Moreno Valley. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
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Jesus Duenas practices his slack lining while his brother Alfred Duenas, left, does strength exercises at Fairmount Park in Riverside. They live together and said the trees help keep them 6-feet apart from anyone walking by. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
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Javon Jones of the Antioch Church sings gospel hymns during a livestreamed Easter worship on Mt. Rubidoux in Riverside. For only the third time in 111 years, Easter service atop Mt. Rubidoux was canceled because of the coronavirus outbreak. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 27, 2020: Norm and Tracy Kahn enjoy eating dinner outside on a small cafe table sitting in blue chairs on their side yard during the coronavirus pandemic on April 27, 2020 in Riverside, California. ‘During this pandemic, eating outside offers us an opportunity to change surrounding and appreciate the calmness of being outdoors among trees, scents from nature and the sounds of birds, “ she said. Also adding, “Mixing up where we eat puts variety into our days and takes away the sameness of feeling trapped at home.” (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times) (Gina Ferazzi/Gina Ferazzi/Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
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Small business owner Ana Lee of Riverside created “Community Over Covid” posters for neighbors to place of their front lawns during the coronavirus pandemic. “I thought it would be uplifting,” she said on April 10. “With so many people home and taking walks in their own neighborhoods but not being able to be physically proximate to other families, the signs are a visual reminder, that neighborly wave, that we are a strong community.” (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Neighbors gather to sing “Amazing Grace” on Easter Sunday on Emerson Street, a quiet cul-de-sac in Riverside, whose mayor, Rusty Bailey, had asked residents to come out of their homes to sing at noon. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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The Stowe family in Riverside held a role-reversal prom after a nephew’s prom was canceled because of the coronavirus. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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After celebrating their nephew’s canceled prom via a video feed, the Stowe family greets neighbors in Riverside while practicing social distancing. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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At least 30 patients and staff have tested positive for COVID-19 at the Extended Care Hospital of Riverside, a skilled nursing facility. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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A Palm Springs resident finds the serenity of a closed golf course the perfect place for afternoon reading during the coronavirus pandemic at Tahquitz Creek Golf Resort in Palm Springs. All the golf courses are closed in the desert communities. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Shopping carts block off the parking area in front of a Best Buy store in Rancho Mirage that was open for curbside pickup only during the coronavirus pandemic on April 2. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Restaurant owner Lisa Weaver takes a to-go order from a resident at Dickey’s Barbecue Pit during the coronavirus pandemic on April 3 in Rancho Mirage. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Adeline Hernandez, 2, of Riverside seems perplexed by the yellow caution tape as she approaches the closed-off swing sets at Ryan Bonaminio Park in Riverside on April 3. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Wearing a cat mask, Chani Beeman of Riverside shows off a roll of toilet paper she got as a bonus with her takeout order from Mario’s Place in downtown Riverside on April 3. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Freddy Torres of Buena Park gets some target practice in at Riverside Indoor Shooting Range on March 31. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Customers wait in line to buy guns at Warrior One Guns and Ammo during the coronavirus pandemic in Riverside on March 31. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
During a news briefing Friday, Dr. Cameron Kaiser, the county’s public health officer, said that the county has been seeing fewer cases than initially projected. The county has “bent the curve a little bit,” but the goal is to flatten it, he said.
As of Monday, Riverside County has the second-largest number of cases in the state, following Los Angeles County. Last week, the county ranked third, behind San Diego.
Though residents of other Southern California counties held protests over the weekend and Ventura County officials announced that they would ease restrictions, Kaiser said that he doesn’t plan on lifting restrictions in Riverside County anytime soon.
Fifteen employees at SunDate, a date packinghouse in Coachella, tested positive for COVID-19 in early April, said Brooke Federico, the county’s public information officer. Of these cases, one person died on April 15. Because of privacy concerns, no further details about the employee were provided.
On April 2, the county was informed that two employees at SunDate had tested positive for the novel virus. Those employees were sent home to self-isolate. By April 13, a total of 15 employees had contracted the virus, Federico said.
Federico said the facility, which packages dates that are sold at stores nationwide, won’t be closed because there doesn’t appear to be a risk of “sustained transmission” of the virus. The disease control team is still investigating the facility’s COVID-19 cases.
No representatives from SunDate were available for comment Monday.
Officials said Friday that Riverside County residents who do not display COVID-19 symptoms can now be tested for the novel virus at all of the county’s drive-up testing sites. Previously because of a lack of testing kits, only people who showed symptoms such as high fever or respiratory issues were able to receive a coronavirus test.
The county’s fifth drive-up testing is scheduled to open Wednesday at the Blythe Fairgrounds in the eastern part of the county, officials said.
Kim Saruwatari, the county’s public health director, said that the Blythe facility has the capacity to test about 400 residents a day at this time. Those interested in being tested must call (800) 945-6171 to schedule an appointment. There is no cost for the tests and health insurance is not required, Federico said.
Testing individuals who do not have COVID-19 symptoms gives health experts a better idea of the extent of the outbreak in Riverside County.
As of Sunday evening, nearly 31,000 tests had been administered in the county, records show.
“We’re testing people already when they’re sick, but we need to understand how COVID-19 is affecting people who may generally feel well, including kids,” Kaiser said. “That’s going to be a key indicator for understanding how it spreads and knowing where our areas of concern are when we think about if and how much to open things again.”
The county also reported Monday that 236 people are hospitalized due to complications of COVID-19. Of those, 76 people are in intensive care units. A total of 700 people have recovered from the virus.
