Coachella Valley coronavirus news and info | Thursday evening, May 14

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.

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As of 4 pm Thursday, Riverside County officials have confirmed:

• 5,440 people have officially tested positive for COVID-19.
  • 97 people have been reported to have tested positive in the last 24 hours
• 235 people are confirmed to have died in the county from the coronavirus.
  • 7 people have been reported dead in the last 24 hours.
• There are currently 188 confirmed cases hospitalized.
  • 66 of those people in the ICU.
• There have been 3,254 official recovered cases in the county.
• The county has conducted 78,939 tests.
  • There have been 2,896 reported tests in the last 24 hours.

As of 4 pm Thursday, San Bernardino County has confirmed 3,198 cases of COVID-19.  There have been 139 deaths in San Bernardino County.

As of 3 pm Thursday, there have been 74,391 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in California.  There have been 3,032 confirmed deaths in the state.

JUST IN: More than 300,000 people around the world have now died from the coronavirus, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University. More than 4.4 million cases have also been recorded, according to the university’s count. https://t.co/OQFzdHoT6B pic.twitter.com/KFKNMXbt6S

— CNN (@CNN) May 14, 2020

According to Johns Hopkins University's tally of cases in the United States, there are at least 1,405,961 cases of coronavirus in the U.S.; at least 85,194 people have died in the U.S. from coronavirus.

On Thursday, JHU has reported 15,555 new cases and 1,075 reported deaths.

— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) May 14, 2020

We're seeing a sustained decline in #Covid19 deaths nationally, another indication that the U.S. epidemic is slowing. pic.twitter.com/b1aE6ZQEs0

— Scott Gottlieb, MD (@ScottGottliebMD) May 14, 2020

The numbers increase everyday.  They are more than just numbers.  They are people.

The Amadeus, a string quartet of extraordinary longevity, set the gold standard in chamber music for four decades after World War II. Their last surviving member, the cellist Martin Lovett, has died of the complications of the novel coronavirus. https://t.co/xLKeM9Id9I

— New York Times Arts (@nytimesarts) May 14, 2020

Today 428 people in the UK died of COVID-19.

My father was one of them.

Sleep peacefully dad. #RIP #NotJustAStatistic #Dad #Covid19 #Coronavirus #Covid_19 pic.twitter.com/9dPeNGk0Rp

— Ickle Misty (@UnlovableT) May 14, 2020

Yu Lihua, one of the most important Chinese American writers of her day, dies of covid-19 at the age of 90. A beautiful obituary: https://t.co/shg9NY4kvO
One of her daughters is the Washington Post's Lena Sun, who has been at the forefront of the newspaper's coronavirus coverage.

— Elahe Izadi (@ElaheIzadi) May 14, 2020

Coronavirus causes at least 10 times more deaths than typical seasonal influenza, according to a study released today Researchers noted that the disease caused by COVID-19 caused 15,455 deaths across the United States during the week ending April 21 and 14,478 during a week earlier. Conversely, during a typical week during the winter season, the flu causes 350 to 1,600 Americans’ deaths, based on CDC figures from 2015 to 2018.

Coronavirus has been spreading faster in Southern California than the rest of the state  -with 8 of the 10 highest infection rates being in So Cal counties.  Why has that been the case?  Researches aren’t really sure. “It’s a mystery to me,” a UC Irvine population health professor told the Press Enterprise. “It just doesn’t totally make sense.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is proposing to cut $6.1 billion from a variety of programs in the state as part of next year’s budget. Newsom claims the budget prioritizes public education, public health and public safety:

A global health crisis has triggered a global financial crisis.

The U.S. GDP is projected to decrease by 26.5% this quarter. Job loss is at an all time high. We’re facing a recession worse than the Great Recession.

— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) May 14, 2020

Californians have come together and met the moment. Serving on the frontlines. Staying home.

We’ve had each other’s backs.

Now the federal government should have ours.

CA, OR, WA, NV, and CO have asked for $1 trillion to protect our public schools, health, and safety programs.

— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) May 14, 2020

Riverside County is asking that departments cut as much as 15% from their budgets in the face of a projected $100 million-plus budget shortfall due to lost revenue and costs tied to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

One in every four U.S. restaurants will go out of business due to the coronavirus, according to a forecast by OpenTable.  Total reservations and walk-in customers from OpenTable’s network were down 95% on May 13 from the same day a year ago across the country, which includes some states that have allowed dine-in restaurants to reopen.

Starbucks is asking its landlords for a break on rent over the next year. “Effective June 1 and for at least a period of 12 consecutive months, Starbucks will require concessions to support modified operations and adjustments to lease terms and base rent structures,” read a May 5 letter to landlords, signed by Starbucks COO.

As nail salons reopen in some states, the experience is a bit different than before the pandemic. Those going for a manicure or pedicure are being asked to wear a mask and wash their hands and feet prior to their seating, gone are any sort of pillows, and bottles are being sanitized before being returned to the shelf.

The Riverside County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office announced they have received 50,000 surgical masks from the State of California.  The masks will be provided to protect workers in county’s agricultural industry. Supervisor Manny Perez, who voted to rescind the county’s mask order last week, said in a statement, “These supplies are foundational to protecting workers, public health and continuity in food production. We will continue to work on these resource requests on behalf of our agricultural workers and the industry to make sure they are adequately protected.”

Outdoor movie theaters in Riverside and Jurupa Valley plan to reopen tomorrow after closing for several weeks.  Each are asked to stay in their cars unless they are buying food at snack bars or using restrooms. Visitors will be required to wear face coverings if they leave their automobiles:

A reminder: Little Bar in Palm Desert has free cheeseburgers for the Class of 2020. Little Bar is open Thursday through Sunday for takeout.  You can order here and, do yourself a favor, get some of their tasty tots too.

Finally, the Palm Springs Fire and Police Departments helped a recent widow celebrate her 90th birthday.  It looks like she enjoyed it.  We hope you are having great birthday, Ruth.

Yesterday we received a phone call advising us that one of our residents was celebrating her 90th birthday and had recently lost her husband. The Fire and Police Departments both stepped up and joined in on driving by her home to wish her a happy birthday. Happy Birthday Ruth. pic.twitter.com/6IDAFnWSVs

— Palm Springs Fire Department (@PalmSpringsFire) May 14, 2020

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.

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

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.