U.K. Variant Of COVID-19 Detected In Riverside County

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — Riverside County reported 643 new cases of COVID-19 and 40 additional deaths Wednesday, while health officials also confirmed the first local case of the COVID-19 variant B.1.1.7 first discovered in the United Kingdom.

The case was reported to Riverside County health officials over the weekend, according to county Executive Office spokeswoman Brooke Federico. She did not specify the region in which the case originated.

"It was inevitable we would see this strain in Riverside County, and in our large population we will probably see others," county Public Health Officer Dr. Cameron Kaiser said. "But it doesn't change the need for people to take precautions with facial coverings, social distancing and good hygiene. It works for other things and it works for this, too."

B.1.1.7 is considered more contagious, but not necessarily more deadly, than the original strain of COVID-19. The variant has been detected across the Southland.

On Wednesday morning, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that the South African coronavirus variant had also arrived in California. Two cases of B.1.351 — one in Alameda County and another in Santa Clara County — were reported Wednesday morning through Stanford, Newsom said.

The total number of COVID-19 cases recorded since the pandemic began in Riverside County in early March now stands at 284,168, according to the Riverside University Health System.

The number of virus-related deaths is 3,454, according to RUHS data.

COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to fall, with 726 patients now under care for virus-related complications countywide, or 29 fewer than Tuesday. That figure includes 193 intensive care unit patients, the same as Tuesday.

Meanwhile, health officials announced Tuesday that supplies of coronavirus vaccines are expected to increase in Riverside County following changes in the state's dispensation program.

Department of Public Health Director Kim Saruwatari told the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday that Blue Shield of California had reached an agreement with the California Department of Public Health to coordinate distribution efforts throughout the state, including Riverside County. A schedule for the switch wasn't specified.

Saruwatari and RUHS spokesman Dr. Geoffrey Leung both said CDPH decisions regarding shipments of Pfizer and Moderna SARS-Cov-2 doses have created difficulties. The size of shipments has been based on health care worker population, as opposed to actual eligible population, Saruwatari said.

"Our supplies have been limited and unpredictable," Leung told the board. "We are operating on a week-to-week basis. Sometimes we get more Pfizer, sometimes more Moderna."

According to Leung, just over 200,000 residents have received the first round of doses. But there are ongoing concerns about completing the two- dose immunization process, and that has created anxiety among recipients, many of whom don't have a set timeline for when they can obtain their second dose, which is supposed to be within three to six weeks of the first one.

"We are trying our best to continue making improvements," Leung said.

The Palm Springs Convention Center will be available as a vaccination clinic at the end of this week, and Leung said there are plans for mobile vaccination clinics to reach remote locations.

Emergency Management Director Bruce Barton said ICU availability countywide remains at 0 percent, along with the 11-county Southern California region.

The county is making vaccination of seniors a priority, but others who qualify under the CDPH Phase 1 guidelines include hospital workers, first responders, teachers and some agricultural workers.

The portal to make an appointment for vaccination can be accessed via www.rivcoph.org/COVID-19-Vaccine. Anyone who needs assistance may also call the county's 211 help line.