Coronavirus ‘curve is no longer flat’ in Riverside County, health officer says

Adeline Hernandez, 2, of Riverside seems perplexed by the yellow caution tape as she approaches the closed off swing sets at Ryan Bonaminio Park during the COVID-19 pandemic in April 2020. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

by: Los Angeles Times

Posted: Jul 1, 2020 / 08:32 PM PDT

Updated: Jul 1, 2020 / 08:32 PM PDT

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Recent upticks in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations have erased Riverside County’s progress in fighting the virus and the “curve is no longer flat,” Dr. Cameron Kaiser, the county’s public health officer, told the Board of Supervisors this week.

Riverside County saw a sharp increase in cases in June, causing bed capacity in intensive cares to reach nearly 99% and the doubling rate of infection — the amount of time it takes for cases to double in number — decrease to almost 27 days. As of Wednesday afternoon, of the 417 hospitalized patients, 117 of them were intensive care.

Kim Saruwatari, the county’s public health director, said the county has roughly 202 coronavirus cases per 100,000 residents, which is more than double the state’s 100-case threshold. Since early June, the number of people who tested positive for the virus was also above the state’s 8% limit, but it reached 12.3% on June 26, she said.

The county reported 772 new cases and six additional deaths Wednesday, bringing its totals to 18,041 cases and 463 deaths.

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