COVID-19 Death Toll Creeps Up In Riverside County

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — On Thursday, Riverside County reported 38 COVID-19 deaths, the most for a single day in the county since March.

The fatalities are trailing indicators because of delays processing death certificates and can date back a month or longer, but more than half of the 38 deaths reported on Thursday occurred in November, according to Riverside University Health System spokesperson Jose Arballo.

The youngest death was a 34-year-old from Mecca and the oldest a 97-year-old from Cathedral City, according to Arballo.

Since Monday, 79 COVID deaths have been reported by RUHS. The vaccination status of those who died was unavailable, but local health officials have maintained that more than 90 percent of all COVID deaths in Riverside County are in unvaccinated individuals.

"I have no reason to think anything has changed," Arballo said, noting that the uptick in fatalities is likely attributed to the Delta variant that began rapidly spreading in late July.

In the months of May, June and July combined, a total of just 75 COVID deaths were reported in the county, according to RUHS data.

A total of 5,353 deaths from virus-related complications have been recorded in the county in roughly the past 20 months.

The number of coronavirus patients hospitalized in the county increased to 257 Thursday, up from 237 on Monday, according to RUHS. The number of those patients in intensive care was 69, up from 60 at the start of the workweek.

The total number of COVID cases recorded since the pandemic began in March 2020 stood at 371,878 on Thursday, an increase of 1,261 new cases since Monday.

COVID-19 vaccinations for county kids ages 5 to 11 are underway. School districts have had good success getting kids vaccinated via county-operated mobile clinics on campus in the Coachella Valley and Hemet areas, according to Arballo.

"We are partnering with school districts that have asked for help," he said.

Four to 5 percent of Riverside County kids ages 5 to 11 have received their first vaccine dose, Arballo said. About half of county residents ages 12 through 44 years old remain unvaccinated, compared to an approximately 70 percent vaccination rate in people 45 and older, according to RUHS data.

Heading into the holidays, Arballo urged residents to get vaccinated.

"Last year at this time there was a substantial surge in cases that lasted through the New Year," Arballo said. "We don't want to see a repeat."

In addition to vaccination, RUHS is suggesting residents follow COVID safety protocols during large gatherings.

"Gathering outdoors when possible, frequent handwashing, face masks and distancing — they still hold," Arballo said.

For more information on getting vaccinated, visit https://myturn.ca.gov/