Coachella Valley coronavirus news and info | Tuesday, August 18

By
Casey Dolan
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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 3 pm Tuesday, Riverside County officials have confirmed:

  • 48,200 people have officially tested positive for COVID-19.  710 people have been reported positive in the last 24 hours..
  • 913 people are confirmed to have died in the county from the coronavirus. The county reported 1 new death in the last 24 hours

Here’s the latest from the Coachella Valley:

As of 4 pm Tuesday, San Bernardino County has confirmed:

  • 42,150 people have officially tested positive for COVID-19.
  • 616 people are confirmed to have died in the county from the coronavirus.

As of 4 pm Tuesday, the State of California has confirmed:

        • 637,237 people have official tested positive for COVID-19.
        • 11,437 people are confirmed to have died in the state of CA from the coronavirus.

People “in their 20s, 30s and 40s are increasingly driving” the spread of COVID-19 the World Health Organization’s top official for the Western Pacific region said Tuesday. “Many are unaware they are infected,” he added.

The City of Palm Springs is considering cancelling the election for District 5.  The reason: Councilmember Lisa Middleton is running unopposed and, well, there is a pandemic.  The District 4 election, which has two candidates (Mike McCulloch and Dian Torres) taking on incumbent Christy Holstege would still take place.

Two hikers were rescued about 2 miles up the Skyline Trail around 1:50 pm on Tuesday.  Temps at the time were over 110 degrees.  Why is this mentioned in a covid update roundup?  Because emergency crews and hospital staffs have enough to deal with nowadays – so, please, everyone try to act smart about things and maybe don’t head out of for a hike when it’s hot as balls.

Another weird result of the pandemic: Used cars are worth more than ever, and, in some cases, worth more than when they were originally purchased.  It all has to do with supply and demand, which has been brought about by a lower supply of vehicles after the pandemic stopped new car production for nine weeks.

California’s chief health officer is warning residents of the upcoming flu season and urging everyone to get a flu shot. “But unlike for COVID, we actually have a vaccine,” he said. “Not only will it protect you and your communities, but it may be exactly what you need to avoid a visit to the emergency room. We know that additional movement in the ER and urgent care centers might create an exposure risk to COVID-19.”

San Diego County was removed from the state’s watch list on Tuesday after recording an average of less than 100 cases per 100,000 residents for three days.  Officials credit an increase in mask usage and increased contact tracing, as well as improving safety measures in clinical nursing facilities, jails and prisons for the improvement in the county. The new status doesn’t permit businesses to reopen, but it will allow K-12 schools to allow students back to campuses for in-person education with approval from county officials as soon as Sept. 1 if the county stays off the list for two more weeks.  Both Riverside and San Bernardino counties remain on the watch list.

Congressman Raul Ruiz has advice for anyone who is required to go to an in-person meeting these days:

Meanwhile…

The election is 76 days away:

  • You can register to vote here.  
  • Sign up for updates on your mail-in ballot here.
  • Sign up to be a poll worker in Riverside County here.

On that last bullet up there, A 2018 study from Pew Research Center showed the majority of U.S. poll workers, 58 percent, were over 60 years old.  They are at a high-risk group during the pandemic. If you can, consider being a poll worker. 

Finally…

Stay cool.  Stay safe.  Wear a mask.

Thank you for your continued support of Cactus Hugs.

Anything we missed? Let us know about it.

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