A sixth death in Riverside County attributed to the novel coronavirus pandemic was confirmed Sunday. All those who have died from the illness in the county have been from the Coachella Valley, a desert area that includes Palm Springs, Indio, and Rancho Mirage.
The county also had 15 additional confirmed cases Sunday afternoon, bringing that number to 45. Earlier Sunday, the number had been at 31. Jose Arballo Jr., a Riverside County public health spokesman, said results from ramped-up testing from several sources caused the jump.
The county had announced two new additional cases on Saturday, as well as the fifth death from COVID-19.
The latest death was a man in his 80s who died in a local Coachella Valley hospital, Arballo said.
The county posted a map showing the case counts in four geographic areas.
Also Sunday, Riverside County said 25 members of the California National Guard will be in the Coachella Valley on Monday to begin helping to “pack food bags, load food into trucks and deliver bags of food at mobile food markets” for the Food In Need of Distribution (FIND) Food Bank.
FIND has lost 70% of its “senior citizen volunteers,” as described by Fourth District County Supervisor V. Manuel Perez. Gov. Gavin Newsom has urged those 65 and older and people with chronic health conditions to stay at home because they can be hit with more severe illness, including pneumonia.
No other details were available on the latest reported death. Among the county cases reported so far, 24 were locally acquired and four are travel-related.
Saturday, 211 people were tested for the coronavirus during a drive-through screening in Lake Elsinore, staffed by dozens of nurses and other medical personnel dressed in protective gear. The appointment-only clinic was also open Sunday. There was no word on whether it would be continued beyond the weekend,
Testing will only be available to those who have symptoms and then they must call 1-800-945-6171 to schedule an appointment before showing up.
