Coronavirus Patients Resist Contact Tracing In Riverside County

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — Coronavirus hospitalizations continue rising in Riverside County, officials said Tuesday. Meanwhile, many coronavirus patients are not being fully cooperative to provide critically needed information when they are contacted by health investigators working to slow the virus spread.

Tuesday's Numbers

The number of new COVID-19 cases rose by 546 Tuesday in Riverside County to a total of 21,101. Of those cases, 8,896 people have since recovered from the virus.

The death toll jumped significantly to 506, up by 20 people since Monday. Hospitalizations rose by 23 to 518 — with 130 of those patients in ICU. The ICU number is unchanged since Monday.

The number of people tested for the virus rose to 264,915, a jump of 5,732 over Monday's figure.

COVID-19 Hospitalizations In Riverside County

A Riverside County emergency services official told the Board of Supervisors Tuesday that the recent jump in coronavirus patient case loads prompted a half dozen hospitals countywide to switch to "surge plans" to accommodate the infirm, but the facilities are not operating beyond their limits.

"We have six hospitals that are over capacity," Emergency Management Department Director Bruce Barton said. "They are using their surge plans. But that's not the same thing as being overwhelmed. They are not overwhelmed. They still have the capacity."

Across the county's 17 hospitals, ICU beds are at 93.2% capacity, while sub-acute beds are at 71% capacity, according to the most updated county health data published Tuesday. COVID-19 patients are currently taking up 14.6% of all beds. But some hospitals have disproportionately higher numbers of coronavirus patients than others, Barton said.

Barton noted that all of the hospitals have the capability of operating beyond their licensed capacities — a point that has been emphasized repeatedly. Last week, he told the board that most or all of the medical facilities can add 30% more bed space on short notice to facilitate patients.

"There has been a vigorous and robust planning effort (in preparation) for a surge," Barton said. "Some hospitals are deeper into it than others. It's all about their internal capacity."

He said hospitals have the option to switch to over-capacity operations well in advance of actually being inundated with patients, be they COVID-19 cases or others.

As to the reasons for the significant rise in coronavirus-related hospitalizations — which are up 130% compared to a month ago — Barton could not "pin down any one thing."

More businesses reopening, church services, protests, increased social gatherings — "Could be a number of reasons," the EMD director said. "It's hard to have a crystal ball."

There have been concerns about patients from Imperial County being hospitalized in Riverside County due to lack of bed space in the neighboring region. The latest figures from Riverside County Public Health show just five Imperial County patients are now hospitalized locally.

The number of COVID-19 inmates hospitalized in Riverside County is 10, according to the latest data.

According to Barton, the EMD and other Riverside County agencies are assisting local hospitals by every means possible, including masks for staff.

The county has come into possession of 2 million N95 masks, and another million are expected to be available for distribution by the end of the month, Barton said.

The county received $431 million in federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief & Economic Security — CARES — Act funding for just acquisitions.

Contact Tracing

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 less than 2,500 of the county's total infections.

Health officials continue to encourage Riverside County residents to take their own steps to slow the spread of coronavirus, like wearing a face covering, maintaining social distancing and frequent hand washing. Taking these steps can reduce the spread by up to 95 percent, health officials said.

“The deadly pandemic caught us all by surprise. But we are resilient and we will overcome,” said Board Chair V. Manuel Perez, Fourth District Supervisor. “In order for our county to thrive we ask you to join us in this war against coronavirus and agree to work with our contact tracers if you are called. Together we will beat this pandemic.”

—City News Service contributed to this report.