While COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continued on their downward trend the past week in the Coachella Valley and Riverside County, deaths increased significantly in the region.
The nine Coachella Valley cities added 396 new COVID-19 cases in the week ending Thursday. That is a nearly 12% decrease from the previous week, when there were 449 cases reported between Dec. 8 and 15.
Here is a full breakdown of confirmed total cases and deaths by city since the start of the pandemic as of Thursday (with week-over-week changes shown in parentheses):
There were also 58 COVID-19 cases reported in unincorporated communities in the two weeks ending Thursday:
In Riverside County, there were 3,150 new COVID-19 cases reported in the week ending Thursday. That is down 12% compared to the 3,593 COVID-19 cases that were reported between Dec. 8 and 15.
COVID-19-related patient numbers continued to decrease. As of Thursday, there were 196 patients hospitalized in the county, down by 32 from Dec. 15. That number includes 20 individuals in intensive care.
While other metrics saw a downward trend, COVID-19-related deaths in Riverside County increased significantly. There were 44 new deaths reported in the week ending Thursday, bringing the total to 6,738 since the beginning of the pandemic.
In Riverside County, 60.1% of residents ages 6 months and older have completed their primary vaccine series, which includes both shots of the Pfizer, both shots of the Moderna vaccines or one shot of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. About 30.2% of the eligible population has been boosted.
Ema Sasic covers entertainment and health in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at ema.sasic@desertsun.com or on Twitter @ema_sasic.
