New Coronavirus Cases Hit Another One-Day High: Riverside County

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — The number of new coronavirus cases reported Wednesday in Riverside County has reached another single-day high, but for the first time in weeks hospitalizations saw a decrease.

The total number of COVID-19 cases countywide stands at 21,957 — up by 856 infections since Tuesday’s reporting. The last single-day high was July 1 when 745 new cases were reported.

The number of people who have recovered from the virus was reported Wednesday at 9,072.

The death toll increased to 515, up by nine people since Tuesday.

Hospitalizations decreased by 12 patients to 506 — 122 of those patients are in ICU, a decrease of eight people since Tuesday.

The latest county health figures show five patients from Imperial County and 10 prison inmates are currently hospitalized in Riverside County due to COVID-19 complications.

The number of COVID-19 tests conducted countywide rose to 268,613, up by 3,698 since Tuesday’s reporting.

According to county data, the positivity rate is currently hovering at just below 16% (the percentage is not representative of all tests and all positive results, but rather a snapshot of current testing). The most recent county data show that on July 2, the positivity rate was 15.9% — well above the state's threshold of 8%.

The county continues to be on a state watchlist due to increasing COVID-19 spread.

On Tuesday, Riverside County health officials put out a public plea, asking coronavirus patients to provide critically needed information when they are contacted by health investigators working to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Hundreds of contact tracers are working as part of Riverside County's response to the epidemic. The contact tracers reach out to those who test positive for COVID-19 and attempt to determine the source of the infection, who the patient may have been in contact with and where the patient may have visited. The information is used to help slow the spread of coronavirus by reaching out to those who may have been infected without identifying the infected patients, according to county health officials.

"Unfortunately, in many cases, the person who is contacted is not providing the information that is being sought," said Kim Saruwatari, director of Riverside County Public Health. "This information is critical as we work to slow and eventually stop the spread of coronavirus. It is understandable that patients may be reluctant to discuss sensitive issues, but it is very important that this information is provided."

Saruwatari emphasized the information that is gathered is not shared with other governmental agencies or with those who are contacted by case investigators. Health officials have used the same techniques for years while investigating health issues like tuberculosis and sexually transmitted diseases.

"We don't share individual information and we don't ding people for being honest," said Dr. Cameron Kaiser, Riverside County public health officer. "The only thing new about what we're doing now is the scale of it. We know how to keep your information private and we ask only what we need to know. But we also need to understand where our hotspots are so we can concentrate on those regions and sectors, and that can't happen if we don't find out what we need to."

Well over three-quarters of all COVID-19 infections in Riverside County are in people younger than 65. People 65 and older represent just under 12% of all infections that have been reported countywide.

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