COVID-19: Coachella Valley cities see slight drop in cases, while Riverside County numbers continue to climb

Ema Sasic, Palm Springs Desert Sun
·2 min read
1

COVID-19 cases showed early signs of slowing in the Coachella Valley cities in the week ending Wednesday, while Riverside County still posted a week-over-week increase in case numbers.

The nine Coachella Valley cities added 578 new COVID-19 cases in the week ending Tuesday. That's down 19% from the previous week, when there were 717 cases reported between May 25 and June 1.

Here is a full breakdown of confirmed total cases, deaths and recoveries by city since the start of the pandemic (with weekly changes shown in parentheses):

  • Cathedral City: 12,762 confirmed cases (+84); 151 deaths (+0); 12,515 recoveries (+81)

  • Coachella: 13,196 confirmed cases (+61); 121 deaths (+0); 13,004 recoveries (+60)

  • Desert Hot Springs: 7,943 confirmed cases (+31); 99 deaths (+0); 7,799 recoveries (+38)

  • Indian Wells: 644 confirmed cases (+2); 8 deaths (+0); 630 recoveries (+9)

  • Indio: 23,145 confirmed cases (+123); 281 deaths (+0); 22,705 recoveries (+142)

  • La Quinta: 8,348 confirmed cases (+71); 84 deaths (+1); 8,186 recoveries (+99)

  • Palm Desert: 9,767 confirmed cases (+104); 148 deaths (+0); 9,495 recoveries (+94)

  • Palm Springs: 8,237 confirmed cases (+68); 157 deaths (+0); 7,995 recoveries (+52)

  • Rancho Mirage: 2,803 confirmed cases (+34); 56 deaths (+0); 2,714 recoveries (+39)

There were also 75 COVID-19 cases reported in unincorporated communities for the week ending Wednesday.

Riverside County continued to see an increase in week-over-week numbers. The county reported 3,679 new cases between Friday and Wednesday. That's up nearly 19% compared to the previous week.

Though cases are still climbing in Riverside County, the CDC says the region has a low community transmission level. People "may choose to mask at any time," but those with symptoms, a positive test or those who have been exposed to COVID-19 should wear a mask, according to the CDC.

Other Southern California counties, such as San Diego, Los Angeles and Orange, have a medium community transmission level. Residents of those counties are encouraged to wear masks, especially if they are at high-risk of illness.

Hospitalizations in Riverside County have remained consistent in recent days. On Wednesday, there were 101 patients in county hospitals, one more than Friday's count. That number includes seven individuals in intensive care.

Though one death was reported in La Quinta in the week ending Wednesday, the county's overall death total remained the same since Friday. There have been 6,539 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic, according to the dashboard.

In Riverside County, 59% of residents ages 5 and older have completed their primary vaccine series, which includes both shots of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines or one shot of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. About 28.5% of the population ages 5 and older has been boosted.

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: Coachella Valley cities see slight drop in cases, while Riverside County numbers continue to climb