Coachella Valley coronavirus news and info | Friday, June 26

By
Casey Dolan
-
(?: Sue Farris)

Cactus Hugs has been tracking local stories about the coronavirus.   For a rundown of all of our updates, click here. Stay safe, stay at a good social distance. Thank you for your continued support of Cactus Hugs. For ways to keep this website going (and free!), click here.

As of 3 pm Friday, Riverside County officials have confirmed:

  • 15,643 people have officially tested positive for COVID-19.  501 people have been reported positive in the last 24 hours.
  • 438 people are confirmed to have died in the county from the coronavirus. This number includes 3 people reported dead in the last 24 hours.

Here’s the latest from the Coachella Valley:

As of 3 pm Friday, San Bernardino County has confirmed:

  • 11,290 people have officially tested positive for COVID-19.
  • 248 people are confirmed to have died in the county from the coronavirus.

As of 4 pm Friday, the State of California has confirmed:

  • 202,071 people have official tested positive for COVID-19.
  • 5,815 people are confirmed to have died in the state of CA from the coronavirus.

Nationally, things are not going well:

 

The Desert Sun breaks down coronavirus deaths by city in the Coachella Valley, which has now lost 111 people to COVID-19. Palm Desert has seen the most deaths (29), with Indio having the second most reported coronavirus deaths (25).

Several employees at Riverside County’s Administrative Center have tested positive for coronavirus. The next meeting of the Board of Supervisors will be virtual.  Last month, the board voted against the recommendations of their own health department, including an order for people in the county to wear masks:

As new coronavirus cases surge in California, data shows more than half of cases are among people under 50. As of Wednesday, 56% of people who tested positive for COVID-19 were between the ages of 18 to 49, according to the California Department of Public Health.

Mounting clues suggest the coronavirus might trigger diabetes. Evidence from tissue studies and some people with coronavirus appears to show that the virus damages insulin-producing cells.

Gov. Gavin Newsom is urging Imperial County to “pull back” and to reinstate its stay-at-home order.  The county is seeing a surge in cases and has only two hospitals. Imperial “If they are not able to come to some consensus,” Newsom warned, “I am committed to intervening.”

Hundreds of nurses began a 10-day strike Friday morning, over what they say is dangerously low staffing at Riverside Community Hospital.  At least 400 nurses from other hospitals were scheduled to take part to try to prevent the strike from affecting patient care:

Baseball is preparing to begin a shortened season starting in July. On Thursday, the Los Angles Dodgers announced “some people” in the organization have tested positive.

Movie studios had expected to begin releasing new releases in theaters again in July – but, on Friday, Disney moved “Mulan” back to August, signaling that Hollywood has basically given up on trying to release any notable films anytime soon.

The European Union is likely to ban travelers from the United States.  As the US has failed to contain the pandemic, the EU now feels that admitting people from the US and 26 other countries is too risky:

The White House’s Coronavirus Task Force held a press conference for the first time in two months on Friday.  It was the first briefing since President Donald Trump suggested people inject bleach to fight the coronavirus.  Vice President Mike Pence led the conference and was less than truthful about the current situation:

During the conference, Dr. Anthony Fauci advised that people should listen to and follow the guidance and recommendations of their local health officials.  When asked why the Trump campaign wasn’t doing the same, Pence responded that it was about freedom of speech and then hastily ended the conference:

Even Dick Cheney says WEAR A MASK.

Behind-the-wheel drivers tests are back at the DMV, with some safety protocols in place, which include mandatory face coverings and temperature screenings:

Finally…

Updates will resume on Monday. Have a nice weekend. Be smart. Be safe.

Thank you for your continued support of Cactus Hugs.

These are stressful times for all of us. Coping with stress will make you, the people you care about, and our desert community stronger. This link has some resources to help with coping and also numbers to call or text if you, or someone you know, feels overwhelmed.

Please, take care of yourself and each other. You are important. You are valued. You are loved. ??

Anything we missed? Let us know about it.

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