Coronaviruses in Riverside County “curve is no longer flat,” officials say

Dr. Cameron-Kaiser, a county public health official, said this week that the recent increase in coronavirus cases and hospitalization has eliminated Riverside County’s progress in fighting the virus, “the curve is no longer flat.” It was

The number of cases surged in June in Riverside County, and the number of beds in the intensive care unit Almost 99% Also, the infection rate doubles-the time to double the number of cases-is reduced by about 27 days. As of Wednesday afternoon, 117 of 417 inpatients received intensive care.

The county’s director of public health, Kim Saruwatali, said the county had approximately 202 cases of coronavirus per 100,000 inhabitants, more than double the state’s 100-case threshold. Since early June, the number of people who have been positive for the virus has also risen above the state’s 8% limit, but by June 26 she had reached 12.3%, she said.

The county reported 772 new cases and 6 additional deaths on Wednesday, bringing the total to 18,041 cases and 463 deaths.

“We’re seeing hospitalization and ICU rates higher than ever during this outbreak,” Kaiser said via videoconferencing at a meeting held Tuesday.

Earlier this week, Kaiser issued a public health order to shut down the bar until further notice, following Governor Gavin Newtham’s announcement. Announcement.. The bars were allowed to reopen in Riverside County on June 12, but local authorities were concerned that they would become hot spots in a cluster of new cases.

Bars are one of the most difficult for contact tracers to track potential infections because people come and go very often, Kaiser said. In addition, he said in a statement, “People are not very social after a few drinks.”

Saruwatari added that the virus is more likely to spread in the bar because people don’t socialize or cover their face, and they tend to “speak louder because it’s a noisy environment.” It was The louder someone speaks, the more droplets that may contain a spreading virus.

Mr Kaiser said the bar had been forced to close and anyone who violated it could lose his liquor license.

Bar may be part of an explanation of why our young people are sick now, he added. According to the county website, people aged 18 to 39 account for the most positive cases.

“They are less likely to die, but they can still have serious symptoms,” Kaiser said. “They may still need hospitalization, and they can still spread the disease.”

When it comes to death, the deaths between the ages of 45 and 64 are similar to those over the age of 85, making it the second highest absolute age group.

With the exception of the bar, Kaiser said recent protests and private gatherings during and after Memorial Day also contributed to the new case. “many [protesters] I did wear the face cover and distance properly as recommended, but many didn’t,” he said.

According to Salwatari, the county has seen numerous incidents in restaurants, large box stores, and salad and date packing factories in the county. But she said, “Most of the cases are actually a group of people who are gathering together. They are not social distances. They are not wearing face coverings. For more than 15 minutes together There is.

“It’s a family barbecue. You’ve seen them for the first time in a long time, so you have some friends. And what really connects to the increase in the cases we’re seeing now is the close contact with people. Good contact…”

During Tuesday’s meeting, authorities also addressed rumors that COVID-19 patients from Imperial County, which had only two hospitals, were taken to Riverside County hospitals for treatment at night, overwhelming their treatment centers. I took some time to do it.

As of Monday, Bruce Burton, the county’s emergency manager, said that of the 365 coronavirus patients hospitalized in Riverside County, only five were from Imperial County. He said more than 100 patients from Imperial County were hospitalized during the pandemic.

Mr Burton also said that hospitals in Riverside County would only allow transfers if they could, and would normally be transferred by ambulance during the day.