COVID-19: Riverside County, Coachella Valley see improving case, hospitalization numbers
While COVID-19 continues to spread locally, Riverside County and the Coachella Valley saw optimistic signs in the past week that cases and hospitalizations were beginning to fall again.
The nine Coachella Valley cities added 510 new COVID-19 cases in the week ending Wednesday. That is a 32% drop in cases from the previous week's 749.
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: 13,605 confirmed cases (+75); 152 deaths (+1); 13,382 recoveries (+94)
Coachella: 13,896 confirmed cases (+58); 121 deaths (+0); 13,708 recoveries (+111)
Desert Hot Springs: 8,372 confirmed cases (+41); 98 deaths (+0); 8,228 recoveries (+41)
Indian Wells: 685 confirmed cases (+7); 8 deaths (+0); 674 recoveries (+8)
Indio: 24,650 confirmed cases (+127); 285 deaths (+0); 24,243 recoveries (+189)
La Quinta: 9,075 confirmed cases (+61); 86 deaths (+0); 8,925 recoveries (+78)
Palm Desert: 10,599 confirmed cases (+80); 150 deaths (+0); 10,391 recoveries (+109)
Palm Springs: 8,888 confirmed cases (+33); 158 deaths (+0); 8,682 recoveries (+47)
Rancho Mirage: 3,129 confirmed cases (+28); 58 deaths (+0); 3,044 recoveries (+34)
There were also 58 COVID-19 cases reported in unincorporated communities in the week ending Wednesday:
Bermuda Dunes: 1,653 confirmed cases (+3); 13 deaths (+0); 1,637 recoveries (+10)
Desert Edge: 699 confirmed cases (+8); 22 deaths (+0); 671 recoveries (+8)
Desert Palms: 816 confirmed cases (+9); 35 deaths (+0); 773 recoveries (+7)
Garnet: 1,587 confirmed cases (+4); 23 deaths (+0); 1,560 recoveries (+8)
Mecca: 1,988 confirmed cases (+8); 23 deaths (+0); 1,957 recoveries (+11)
North Shore: 744 confirmed cases (+3); 1 deaths (+0); 739 recoveries (+2)
Oasis: 1,659 confirmed cases (+6); 9 deaths (+0); 1,645 recoveries (+17)
Sky Valley: 476 confirmed cases (+1); 7 deaths (+0); 469 recoveries (+1)
Thermal: 818 confirmed cases (+3); 10 deaths (+0); 806 recoveries (+6)
Thousand Palms: 2,010 confirmed cases (+10); 13 deaths (+0); 1,990 recoveries (+10)
Vista Santa Rosa: 628 confirmed cases (+3); 5 deaths (+0); 620 recoveries (+2)
Local wastewater reports from Palm Springs and the Valley Sanitary District also show a continued decrease in COVID-19 concentration in collected samples.
As Coachella Valley students begin their return to classrooms, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated guidelines on Thursday that recommend people wear a high-quality mask for 10 days and get tested on the fifth day after a COVID-19 exposure instead of quarantining. Those who test positive for the virus should still isolate at home for at least five days.
Riverside County added 3,571 new COVID-19 cases between Friday and Wednesday. That is a 23% decrease compared to the previous week, when there were 4,645 cases reported between July 29 and Aug. 3.
Riverside County has a "medium" community transmission level, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Under this level, the CDC states people "may choose to wear a mask at any time" to protect themselves and others.
As of Wednesday, there were 182 patients hospitalized in Riverside County, eight fewer compared to Friday. That number also includes 15 people in intensive care.
There were also two deaths reported between Friday and Wednesday in the county, bringing the total to 6,618 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.
In Riverside County, 59.5% 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 29.8% 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: Riverside County, Coachella Valley see drop in cases
