Riverside, San Bernardino Counties Report Additional Coronavirus Deaths; Ventura County Sees Increase In Cases
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Riverside and San Bernardino counties reported one additional coronavirus-related death each Wednesday, while Ventura County reported an increase in confirmed cases.
In Riverside County, the deceased was a man in his 70s living in an area public health officials called the county's mid-region — which includes Banning, Hemet and Anza. This is the county's first COVID-19 fatality outside of the Coachella Valley, and the eighth overall.
The county has reported 107 cases of the novel coronavirus — 24 cases that health officials believe were acquired locally, four acquired while traveling and 79 that were still under investigation.
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Late Tuesday night, officials reported that an employee at an Amazon fulfillment center in Moreno Valley tested positive for the virus.
"It is not known if the worker lives in the city of Moreno Valley because everyone's personal medical information is considered private," Moreno Valley Mayor Yxstian Alberto Gutierrez said. "The worker is undergoing treatment, and several co-workers have been directed to self-quarantine and are under observation by health officials."
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Just one day after reporting it's first death due to COVID-19, San Bernardino officials said a 46-year-old man with underlying medical conditions became the second person to die from the virus.
"This is a second sad reminder of the seriousness of this pandemic," Dr. Erin Gustafson, San Bernardino County's acting health officer, said. "Our thoughts are with this person's loved ones. At the same time, for all of us it emphasizes the importance of staying at home when we can and practicing good hygiene and social distancing."
There have been 54 cases reported within the county.
And on Wednesday night, San Bernardino County announced it would begin conducting drive-thru testing for the novel coronavirus Friday.
The testing would be available by appointment only, and sign up and details were expected to be available on the county's website by 8 a.m. Thursday morning.
The county will also transition its online reporting to a dashboard that will include the number of patients tested, negative tests, deaths and confirmed cases broken down by gender and age group.
Also on Wednesday, Ventura County was reporting 50 positive cases of the novel coronavirus and one death. The deceased was said to be a person their 70s who had underlying health conditions.
