Coachella Valley coronavirus news and info | Sunday evening, April 26

By
Casey Dolan
-
(?: Christina Castillo)

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 Sunday, Riverside County officials have confirmed:

  • 3,563 people have tested positive for COVID-19.  154 people have tested positive in the last 24 hours.  
  • 118 people are confirmed to have died in the county from the coronavirus. 1 person has died in the last 24 hours
  • There are currently 218 confirmed cases hospitalized, with 81 of them in the ICU.
  • There have been 1,207 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 3:43 Sunday, there have been 43,358 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in California.  There have been 1,718 confirmed deaths in the state.

Reporting around the world on the number of coronavirus deaths has been suspect, so the Financial Times looked into the data of 14 countries to see how many more people than usual have been dying.  What they found: The global coronavirus death toll could be 60% higher than reported.

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

A man being held on bail at a Riverside County jail who had tested positive for COVID-19 died on Sunday. Officials say the inmate, had been behind bars since 2018 for an alleged burglary and arson and was being held in lieu of $1 million bail, died “from what appeared to be complications related to COVID-19,” but added that an exact cause of death had not yet been determined.

Deborah Birx, the White House’s coronavirus task force coordinator, said in an interview on NBC News’s “Meet the Press” Sunday morning that “social distancing will be with us through the summer to really ensure that we protect one another as we move through these phases.”

A Spanish newspaper claims that professional tennis officials are hoping for the sport to return at the Cincinnati Open, which is set to start on August 17th.   In the same story, they say that there is the option that the US Open, one of the big four on the calendar, could move to the Indian Wells Tennis Gardens in the fall, should the situation dictate the tournament be moved out of New York.

Private jets, $8,000 per month home rentals, private yachts, and more – the LA Times reports on the lives of the super rich during the pandemic.

A company in Georgia paid $6.5 million to resolve a Justice Department investigation, two weeks later they got a $10 million federally backed loan to help it survive the coronavirus crisis. Another company received $1.4 million after paying its CEO $1.7 million in 2019.  A third received 838,700, then agreed, the following week, to spend at least $300,000 to purchase a rival firm.  While many small businesses are still trying to receive aid (and survive), The New York Times reports on how large, troubled companies have already deposited their checks.

There was “reopen” Palm Springs protest held Sunday night:

A protest against the stay-at-home orders took place in San Diego on Sunday. The Republican candidate for congress in the Coachella Valley tweeted “she was standing in solidarity” with the protestors, while not actually going to the protest due to an ear infection.

 

“Palm Desert is in trouble” – A Desert Sun reader is not happy with the city’s mayor looking to end the state’s stay-at-home order.

The stock price of plant-based protein manufacturer Beyond Meat Inc. soared last week, up 41%.  Investors have been putting their money into the El Segundo-based company following news of food plant closures that could reduce the amount of pork and beef products available.

So Cal beaches remain very crowded.  It’s a beautiful day,” a woman told ABC 7 while hitting up Huntington Beach. “How can you keep anybody in?”:

StageCouch wrapped up today:

People are finding new and inventive ways to spend time during the quarantine:

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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