Coachella Valley coronavirus news and info | Saturday evening, April 25

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 1 pm Saturday, Riverside County officials have confirmed:

  • 3,409 people have tested positive for COVID-19.  94 people have tested positive in the last 24 hours.  
  • 117 people are confirmed to have died in the county from the coronavirus. 5 people have died in the last 24 hours
  • There are currently 223 confirmed cases hospitalized, with 82 of them in the ICU.
  • There have been 1,133 official recovered cases in the county.

As of 2 pm Friday, San Bernardino County has confirmed 1,666 cases of COVID-19.  There have been 80 deaths in San Bernardino County.

As of 2:30 pm Saturday, there have been 42,165 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in California.  There have been 1,671 confirmed deaths in the state.

As of Thursday, at least 486 nursing home residents had been reported dead from the coronavirus. The number comprises 31% of the reported 1,562 coronavirus deaths the state had been reported as of Friday. in addition, 2,099 health care workers at nursing facilities have had tested positive, plus 3,141 residents. The total cases totals nearly 40,000 or about 13% of all cases in California.

The numbers are increasing everyday.  They are not just numbers.  They are people.  The individual stories are heartbreaking:

The Coachella Valley saw temperatures hit 103 – 105 on Saturday.  The valley’s cooling centers remained closed.

Riverside County health officials urge that Coachella Valley seniors over 65 remain at home and use their air conditioners to stay cool, then reach out to the Riverside County Office of Aging for utility assistance when the bill arrives. “In many instances residents were using our cooling centers so they would not run their air conditioners at home and save on their utility bill,” said Kim Saruwatari, director of Public Health for Riverside County in a press release. “When temperatures are this high it would be potentially dangerous not to run your air  conditioner.”

There was no daily briefing at the White House on Saturday:

And it doesn’t look like there will be another one anytime soon:

After several outbreaks at meat packing plants in the US, The Washington Post found that three of the nation’s largest meat processors failed to provide protective gear to all workers, and some employees say they were told to continue working in crowded plants even while sick as the coronavirus spread around the country.

The coronavirus has hit produce growers hard.  There is plenty of produce at local markets, just not enough buyers. Restaurants were some of the biggest customers and many have shutdown or seen a large drop in revenues. “Perishable items so you can’t really hold produce for over a week or two, so either you’re going to use it fresh, or freeze it or but, you know, I don’t think everyone’s got like a big freezer so you can freeze a lot of stuff,” a So Cal produce grower told ABC 7.  He says his company has seen a 50% drop in sales.

A local startup, CVHarvestBox.com is offering farm-to-home delivery of produce in the Coachella Valley.  They surprised me with a box to try out on Friday night and I am pretty excited about it:

KMIR’s Jerry Steffen may have a unique look on Monday morning:

Looking for something to do this weekend while staying out of the heat?

Finally, some inspirational skywriting above Los Angeles…

That’s all for this evening. Stay safe. Stay smart. Stay home.

Thank you for your continued support of Cactus Hugs.

Important information:

Congressman Raul Ruiz has posted a list of local resources and information.

The Washington Post offers plenty of ways that you can help during the coronavirus pandemic.

If you see someone price gouging, there is now a number for that.

The New York Times has an interactive map where you can track every coronavirus case in the United States.

The Washington Post is out with a guide to what you should know about the coronavirus.

Here is a memo by the Department of Homeland security identifying critical infrastructure workers.

The United Way of the Desert has assembled a nice list of information and resources available during the coronavirus here.

These are scary and anxious times.  Be safe and kind to each other out there and, please, remember to wash your hands.

Anything we missed? Let us know about it.

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