Coronavirus Cases Exceed 400 In Riverside County: Updates

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — A third coronavirus drive-thru testing location opened Wednesday in Riverside County, as confirmed cases continued increasing in the region, an extended school closure was predicted by the governor, and the IRS warned of scammers out to get residents' stimulus money.

As of Wednesday afternoon, there are 429 confirmed COVID-19 cases countywide. Thirteen residents have died due to complications from the disease, while 40 people have recovered from the illness, according to Riverside University Health System — Public Health.

Three of the four latest fatalities involved men — one over 70 from Palm Springs, another over 60 from Cathedral City and one over 80 from Wildomar, according to county spokesperson Brooke Federico. Details about the fourth fatality were not immediately known, she said.

Also on Wednesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom told reporters the expectation is that "schools will not reopen" this academic school year. All Riverside County schools are ordered closed through April 30 per the county's health officer, and local school districts have begun rolling out distance learning programs for students.

The governor stopped short of issuing a state order on school closures. More information on a possible countywide extended school closure is expected Thursday, however.

In other education-related news, the University of California Board of Regents announced Wednesday it will ease admissions requirements for students applying to its nine campuses, including UC Riverside, during the coronavirus pandemic.

Wednesday also saw the opening of an appointment-only drive-thru testing location at Harvest Christian Fellowship church in Riverside. A county public health official told City News Service that the booking calendar is already nearly full this week.

In addition to the new Riverside site, appointment-only drive-thru COVID-19 testing in the Coachella Valley began Tuesday at the Riverside County Fairgrounds in Indio after being moved from Southwest Church in Indian Wells.

An additional COVID-19 screening location is situated at Diamond Stadium in Lake Elsinore, where appointment-only patients can get drive-thru service between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., Sundays to Thursdays. Anyone who lives within a 50-mile radius of the Riverside metropolitan area can access the Lake Elsinore site.

Information and booking operators are available at 800-945-6171 to make an appointment at any of the testing sites.

With increased testing, RUHS officials have predicted the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases will rise. Based on current modeling, the officials project more than 60,000 cases by early May, and a death toll that may exceed 1,000. However, county health officials urge that proper social distancing and hand-washing can help stem the grim projections.

At current infection rates, by April 12 all 102 of the county's intensive care unit beds could be full; by April 22, all hospital beds could be filled, according to the modeling.

All 172 available ventilators — which help patients breathe when they can't do so on their own — could be used by April 26, according to the modeling.

The RUHS estimated that 3,000 ICU beds would be needed by early May, along with 9,000 regular hospital beds, noting that the virus numbers double every 4.7 days.

As of Tuesday, 4,700 people had been tested for the coronavirus at county-overseen sites, according to county public health spokesman Jose Arballo. The local mortality rate remains slightly over 1 percent, he said.

Also on Wednesday, the IRS warned that scammers using telephone and internet schemes will likely multiply as Coronavirus Aid, Relief & Economic Security stimulus checks are deposited directly into bank accounts or sent via mail. Read more: Scammers Are Looking To Steal Your Stimulus Money, IRS Warns

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• Blood Drives Continue In Riverside County Amid Coronavirus
• Coronavirus Economic Stimulus Payments: What You Need To Do
• New Face Mask Recommendation In RivCo Amid Coronavirus

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