RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA – The number of new cases of coronavirus in Riverside County increased by 907 on Tuesday, exceeding the total number of cases above the 30,000 mark for the first time since testing began.
The county’s total number of cases now stands at 30,890 with 11,058 of those people having recovered from the virus.
The number of deaths rose on a Tuesday to 589. Riverside County men infected with COVID-19 are dying at a higher rate than women, and the age group with the highest number of deaths is 65 to 84 years . The next highest group is 45 to 64. Latino / Hispanic people are dying in higher numbers than other races / ethnicities, data from the University of Riverside Health System show.
The highest number of positive cases is found in the age group of 25 to 44 years with 11,504, according to RUHS data.
After reporting a decrease Monday, county-wide hospitalizations increased by 29 patients on Tuesday to 536. Of that total, 135 are in the ICU, an increase of four from Monday. Across the county, ICU beds have a capacity of 83.9 percent and standard hospital beds are at 67.9 percent according to the latest figures from the county Department of Emergency Management dated July 20. Beds used by COVID-19 patients are at 14 percent, according to the data.
Hospitalized patients transferred to the county from Imperial County are at three, and the number of hospitalized inmates is reported at five, the data shows.
The number of people screened for the virus was reported at 329,415 on Tuesday.
The news related to the coronavirus came from the state on Tuesday when California Health Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly announced that school districts may apply to their local health departments for an exemption that could allow elementary schools to teach in person. during the 2020-21 school year. The exemption applies to counties on the state’s “watch list,” which includes Riverside County.
The update follows Governor Gavin Newsom’s announcement Friday that school districts in watch list counties should start next school year with an online-only model to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The state’s new justification allowing for the reopening of elementary schools is based in part on a South Korean study published July 16 that outlined how children spread COVID-19, Ghaly said. The study found that children under the age of 10 transmit the virus at much lower rates, while older children transmit the virus almost as much as adults.
