Coachella Valley coronavirus news and info | Sunday, April 26

By
Casey Dolan
-
(?: Sharon Calcagno)

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 8 pm Saturday, San Bernardino County has confirmed 1,732 cases of COVID-19.  There have been 82 deaths in San Bernardino County.

As of 9:30 pm Saturday, there have been 42,609 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in California.  There have been 1,695 confirmed deaths in the state.

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

Black and Latino Californians ages 18 to 64 are dying more frequently of COVID-19 than their white and Asian counterparts relative to their share of the population, reports the LA Times. The times finds that the data goes against the conventional wisdom that old age is the primary risk factor for death.

The autopsy of a 57-year-old woman from Santa Clara County who died on February 6 of coronavirus found that she had traces of the virus in her heart, trachea, lungs and intestines.  The autopsy further states that the woman had reported flu-like symptoms in the days leading up to her death and while she had a mildly enlarged heart, she had no coronary heart disease or blot clots that would have triggered a heart attack. According to the autopsy, blood had pooled in the sac around her heart, which lead to pressure on the organ, causing it to rupture.

The CDC has updated its list of possible coronavirus symptoms to include: chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat and new loss of taste or smell. Shortness of breath has also been changed to “shortness of breath or difficulty breathing.” The full list of symptoms now is:

  • Fever
  • Cough
  • Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
  • Chills
    Repeated shaking with chills
  • Muscle pain
  • Headache
  • Sore throat
  • New loss of taste or smell

An employee who works at Vyaire Medica, a medical ventilator manufacturing facility in Palm Springs, has tested positive for the coronavirus.  The company said the employee was sent home, their work area cleaned and sterilized, and the facility remains open.  The company says they will be monitoring other employees for symptoms.

Riverside County has submitted a written course of action and promised to provide regular updates on the health of its infected inmates. The move follows a ruling by a judge last week. The county has agreed to submit a written plan detailing the Sheriff’s Department’s efforts and commitments to combat the spread of the virus in the jails, identifying those who may be at a higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19, and regular testing and reporting.

The Coachella Valley’s cannabis facilities have been deemed essential business and remain open.  But, as marijuana is still illegal under federal law, many aid programs available to other types of business are not available to them.  The Desert Sun reports on the cannabis industry during the pandemic.

So Cal beaches have been packed this weekend:

Meanwhile, Catalina has basically turned into a ghost town.

While many small businesses struggle to apply and receive aid from the federal government, a Dallas hotel management chain says it has received $60 million from the PPP program and has no plans on giving it back.

If you have cabin fever and you really love modernism, the Palm Springs Modern Committee and Palm Springs Life have created an app that takes you on a tour of more than 80 famous and architecturally significant modern homes and commercial buildings throughout the Coachella Valley.

StageCouch concludes today:

The Coachella Valley’s public pools remain closed and community pools are only allowing one person in the pool at a time.  If you are still looking for a way to get your laps in, there is always this…

That’s all for this morning. 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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