Coronavirus Testing: Riverside County Officials Provide Update

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — The number of people infected with coronavirus in Riverside County will continue to rise as more testing gets underway, but county officials warned statistics will be dire if people don't follow the social distancing order set forth Monday.

That was the overriding message during a press briefing Wednesday with county health and emergency management officials.

"If we don't change our behavior ... there is no reason to believe this virus will not spread," said Dr. Michael Mesisca, Riverside University Health System-Medical Center.

Under a countywide order issued Monday, residents and businesses are prohibited from conducting social gatherings of 10 or more people. Read the county order here. Gatherings of less than 10 people must have enough available room to maintain six feet of space between attendees — known as "social distancing." Schools throughout Riverside County have been ordered closed through April 30.

Although the county is now able to conduct more COVID-19 testing with faster results due to a local lab that is processing patient samples, Mesisca said the county still lacks test kits. As of Wednesday, approximately 800 tests were underway — a number that is expected to double by week's end and triple by the end of next week, he said.

The process has been slow, admitted Mesisca. Prior to Monday, before the local lab came online, the county was mailing out its patient samples to Northern California and San Bernardino County for testing. Despite a March 13 announcement that a patient was COVID-19 positive at the 99-bed Rancho Mirage Health and Rehabilitation Center, to date all test results for employees and residents at the home have yet to be returned, officials said during the briefing.

In Riverside County, COVID-19 testing priority is currently given to high-risk people, which can include the elderly and those who have come in contact with infected persons and/or were in overseas areas hit hard by the illness. Older people are at higher risk of mortality with COVID-19, but there is still a large group of people outside that demographic "who will get very sick" from the disease, Mesisca confirmed.

The county lab is processing about 60 tests per day, but capacity is being added to process up to 100 per day; in the coming weeks, testing will be rolled out to more people beyond the current high-risk group, Mesisca said.

All of the officials stressed the need to adhere to social distancing to prevent COVID-19 spread, and they said the community must take some responsibility, which includes staying home and limiting outings to necessary trips as much as possible.

Preventing the region's hospitals and health care facilities from becoming overburdened by sick patients — to the point of not having enough beds — was the urgent message during Wednesday's briefing. If you are feeling ill, officials recommend contacting your health care provider immediately via telephone or online.

SEE ALSO: Coronavirus: SoCal Hospitals Lack Beds To Handle Likely Cases

Riverside County Board of Supervisors' Chairman V. Manuel Perez, who represents the Coachella Valley, told reporters that despite how hard COVID-19 has hit his district, he doesn't anticipate a "lockdown" or the National Guard coming in. Several Coachella Valley cities have declared local emergencies, and some of the area's biggest events — which bring in millions of dollars to the local economy — have been cancelled or postponed.

As of early Wednesday afternoon, 16 people who live in Riverside County have tested positive for COVID-19; three of them have died from complications associated with the disease.

Riverside County Public Health spokesman Jose Arballo said the county would not be releasing information on those patients who are currently infected, but he did say some were hospitalized while others were under home quarantine.

To date, 12 of the patients infected by COVID-19 are in Coachella Valley; the three deaths were among Coachella Valley residents. Two other patients are western Riverside County residents who are expected to recover. Two additional county residents were confirmed positive for the disease while traveling.

While there is hope warmer springtime weather will slow COVID-19 spread, much like influenza, Mesisca said there is no definite disease pattern to confirm that.

Analysis is underway, but it's "too soon to say," he said.

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