COVID-19 cases continue to increase in Coachella Valley, Riverside County

Ema Sasic, Palm Springs Desert Sun
·3 min read

COVID-19 metrics continued to increase in the Coachella Valley and Riverside County last week, according to new county data.

The nine Coachella Valley cities added 203 new COVID-19 cases in the week ending Thursday. That is a 25% increase from a week ago when there were 162 cases in the week ending Nov. 3.

Here is a full breakdown of confirmed total cases and deaths by city since the start of the pandemic as of Thursday (with week-over-week changes shown in parentheses):

  • Cathedral City: 13,965 cumulative cases (+22); 152 deaths (+0)

  • Coachella: 14,122 cumulative cases (+16); 122 deaths (+0)

  • Desert Hot Springs: 8,336 cumulative cases (+18); 92 deaths (+0)

  • Indian Wells: 728 cumulative cases (+3); 9 deaths (+0)

  • Indio: 25,277 cumulative cases (+62); 287 deaths (+0)

  • La Quinta: 9,374 cumulative cases (+22); 87 deaths (+0)

  • Palm Desert: 11,182 cumulative cases (+37; 159 deaths (+0)

  • Palm Springs: 9,381 cumulative cases (+10); 165 deaths (+0)

  • Rancho Mirage: 3,273 cumulative cases (+13); 60 deaths (+0)

At the Palm Springs wastewater treatment plant, there was an average of 354,604 viral copies per liter of wastewater reported for Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, a significant decrease from the previous week's average of 913,612 viral copies per liter.

COVID-19 concentration in wastewater has fluctuated in recent weeks at the Valley Sanitary District in Indio. The most recent report showed there were 45,374 and 39,808 viral copies per gram of primary solids reported on Oct. 31 and Nov. 2, respectively.

There were also 36 COVID-19 cases reported in unincorporated communities in the week ending Thursday:

  • Bermuda Dunes: 1,761 cumulative cases (+9); 14 deaths (+0)

  • Desert Edge: 792 cumulative cases (+5); 23 deaths (+0)

  • Desert Palms: 922 cumulative cases (+5); 35 deaths (+0)

  • Garnet: 1,821 cumulative cases (+2); 29 deaths (+0)

  • Mecca: 1,857 cumulative cases (+6); 25 deaths (+0)

  • North Shore: 832 cumulative cases (+2); 1 death (+0)

  • Oasis: 1,520 cumulative cases (+0); 11 deaths (+0)

  • Sky Valley: 405 cumulative cases (+2); 6 deaths (+0)

  • Thermal: 473 cumulative cases (+0); 8 deaths (+0)

  • Thousand Palms: 2,060 cumulative cases (+5); 13 deaths (+0)

  • Vista Santa Rosa: 722 cumulative cases (+0); 5 deaths (+0)

In Riverside County, 1,242 new COVID-19 cases were reported in the week ending Thursday, surpassing a total of 700,000 cases since the beginning of the pandemic. That's up nearly 28% from the previous week.

As of Thursday, there were 87 patients hospitalized in the county, up by eight from the previous week. That number includes six individuals in intensive care, four more people compared to the last update.

No deaths was reported in the county in the past week. There have been 6,660 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.

More: A combination vaccine for flu and COVID-19 is in the works. Here's what to know.

In Riverside County, 60% of residents ages 6 months and older have completed their primary vaccine series, which includes both shots of the Pfizer, both shots of the Moderna vaccines or one shot of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. About 30.2% of the eligible population has been boosted.

The county's COVID-19 dashboard is updated weekly.

Ema Sasic covers entertainment and health in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at ema.sasic@desertsun.com or on Twitter @ema_sasic.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: COVID-19 cases continue to increase in Coachella Valley, Riverside County