Coachella Valley coronavirus news and info | Sunday evening, April 19

By
Casey Dolan
-
(?: Katerina Campbell)

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, and thank you for your continued support of Cactus Hugs.

As of 1 pm Sunday, Riverside County officials have confirmed:

  • 2,628 people have tested positive for COVID-19.    
  • 75 people are confirmed to have died in the county from the coronavirus.
  • There are currently 223 confirmed cases hospitalized, with 71 of them in the ICU.
  • There have been 642 official recovered cases in the county.

As of 2 pm Saturday, San Bernardino County has confirmed 1,286 cases of COVID-19.  There have been 57 deaths in San Bernardino County.

As of 4 pm Sunday, there have been 31,430 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in California.  There have been 1,175 confirmed deaths in the state.

Over 41,000 people in US had died now from coronavirus complications:

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

While the curve appears to have peaked in many countries western countries, it is still too early to tell if that is the case in the United States and United Kingdom:

During a press conference in which not much if any new information on testing or treating the coronavirus was discussed over the course of two hours, Donald Trump was asked about the small protests that have been popping up and the death threats that have been hurled at officials over the stay-at-home orders:

People held in immigration detention centers across California have launched hunger strikes in recent weeks, with many saying officials have not done enough to keep them safe during the pandemic, reports the Desert Sun. More than 120 detainees have tested positive for COVID-19.

“People are overreacting to this damn coronavirus thing. Every election year there’s a new disease! It’s being blown out of proportion.” – The LA Times reports on the life in the rural towns on the road to Vegas.

During a Q&A with the Desert Sun, Congressman Raul Ruiz was asked about having sex during the coronavirus pandemic:

After a large part of the stimulus package went to large corporations rather than small business before the program quickly ran out of money, it appeared Sunday night that another deal between the White House and congress will soon see $450 billion in additional loans and funding approved.

Testing for COVID-19 nationwide is currently at 150,000 people per day.  According to a study by Harvard University, the US needs to be doing 500,000 tests a day by May 1 if it has any chance to reopen by that day.  The number of positive tests must also be much lower, the researchers said. In the US, 20% of those tested for coronavirus get positive results. The World Health Organization has said that in order to reopen, that number should be between 3% to 12%.

Coronavirus is dealing a gut punch to the illegal drug trade, reports AP News.

A group of local businesses and the Coachella Valley Chamber of Commerce came together to support healthcare workers by handing out hundreds of breakfast burritos and salads at JFK Memorial Hospital in Indio on Sunday.  “We’re all friends, we’re all here to support each other and whenever somebody needs something we’re here to lend our help,” one of the volunteers told KESQ.

El Mexicali Cafe II brought by some lunch to the Indio Police Department:

Thank you to El Mexicali Cafe II for stopping by with lunch for our dayshift crew! We appreciate your continued support…

Posted by Indio Police Department on Sunday, April 19, 2020

Some worker experts, union leaders and small grocery owners believe it has become too dangerous to let customers browse aisles and come into close range with workers. They say it’s time for large chains to go “dark” to the public and convert to curbside pickup and home delivery for food and other essential goods. Those calling for the change cite “careless customers,” with 85% of union grocery store member workers reporting that customers are not practicing social distancing in stores. “Anything that reduces the need for interaction with the public and allows for greater physical distancing will ultimately better protect grocery workers,” a San Francisco State University professor told CNN.

If your marriage ceremony plans were affected by COVID-19, you have a chance to win mediocre beer for you year:

Finally, there is a heat wave coming to the Coachella Valley this week.  With it comes hope, from some, that perhaps the higher temperatures will help to slow the spread of coronavirus. Unfortunately, researchers in France were unable to kill the virus in a 140-degree Fahrenheit environment and it was still able to replicate. To kill the virus, it took 15 minutes of exposure to 197.6-degree temperatures – and it won’t be getting quite that hot in the Coachella Valley.

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.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR