Riverside County is still in the orange tier of the state’s tier system.
The newspaper has heard of locals experiencing adverse reactions to the COVID-19 shot. Email [email protected] by 5 p.m. Sunday, May 23 if you would like to share your experience for an upcoming story.
According to the Riverside University Health System – Public Health (RUHS) website, the area of Idyllwild-Pine Cove has a total of 117 reported COVID-19 cases since the outbreak and two deaths reported. One hundred and fourteen of the 117 people have recovered.
As of press time on May 18, Riverside County has 300,039 confirmed COVID-19 cases, 4,598 deaths related to COVID-19 and 294,018 people have recovered. Fifty-four individuals are being hospitalized, and of those, 11 are in the ICU. The county’s positivity rate is 1.6%. The current adjusted case rate per 100,000 is 2.8. The county is reporting that 36.4% of its population has received the full dose of the COVID-19 shot. Last week, the county reported 36.7%
As of press time on May 11, Riverside County had 299,376 confirmed COVID-19 cases, 4,590 deaths related to COVID-19 and 293,289 people had recovered. Seventy-four individuals were being hospitalized, and of those, 16 were in the ICU. The county’s positivity rate was 1.6%. The current adjusted case rate per 100,000 was 2.7. The county was reporting that 36.7% of its population had received the full dose of the COVID-19 shot.
As of press time on May 4, Riverside County had 298,777 confirmed COVID-19 cases, 4,574 deaths related to COVID-19 and 292,409 people had recovered. Sixty-eight individuals were being hospitalized, and of those, 17 were in the ICU. The county’s positivity rate was 1.9%. The current adjusted case rate per 100,000 was 3.4. The county was reporting that 32.5% of its population had received the full dose of the COVID-19 shot.
To date, 3,051,518 total tests have been given for COVID-19 in Riverside County, according to RUHS. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Riverside County has an estimated population of 2.47 million.
CNN reported nine members of the New York Yankees have tested positive for the coronavirus after receiving the COVID-19 shot.
The CDC defines vaccine as “A product that stimulates a person’s immune system to produce immunity to a specific disease, protecting the person from that disease. Vaccines are usually administered through needle injections, but can also be administered by mouth or sprayed into the nose.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom previewed his recovery package last week, “providing additional direct payments to middle-class families that make up to $75,000. Under the plan, two-thirds of Californians will benefit from $600 direct payments. Qualified families with dependents, including undocumented families, will also now be eligible for an additional $500. The plan triples California’s previous investment, reaching more people and giving bigger benefits.”
“California’s recovery is well underway, but we can’t be satisfied with simply going back to the way things were,” said Newsom. “We are tripling the Golden State Stimulus to get money in the hands of more middle-class Californians who have been hit hard by this pandemic. Two in three Californians will receive a check from the state and more than $5 billion in aid will be made available to those who need help paying their rent or utility bills.”
Newsom recently stated the state would open up June 15 if “vaccine supply is sufficient for Californians 16 years and older who wish to be inoculated” and hospitalization numbers remain low. He also said the June 15 date would be revisited, if needed.
The county advised seniors and their caregivers to “never give out financial information to callers, websites or emailers who insist the data is required to schedule a COVID-19 vaccination.”
“Riverside County does not ask residents to pay for vaccinations or vaccination appointments,” said Jewel Lee, director of Office on Aging. “Scammers are preying on seniors and at-risk adults who are seeking services during the pandemic recovery.”
If you think you have been targeted, call the Adult Protective Services (APS) hotline at 800-491-7123.
If you book your own appointment at a county-run clinic, you “will be asked to provide basic personal information” and possibly your Social Security number.
For information on how to avoid a vaccine-related scam, visit https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/2021/04/covid-vaccines-are-free?utm_source=govdelivery.
For more information on the COVID-19 shot, visit www.rivcoph.org/COVID-19-Vaccine or call 2-1-1. Seniors can call the Riverside County Office on Aging at 800-510-2020.
Newsom’s office announced last Tuesday, “Under Governor Newsom’s California Comeback Plan, the state would also offer the largest renter assistance package of any state in America, with billions of dollars to help low-income Californians pay back 100% of their back-rent, their rent for the months to come and overdue water and utility bills.”
For rental assistance, visit https://www.unitedlift.org/. Supervisor Chuck Washington’s office let residents know “the program will provide one-time rental assistance support to cover up to 12 months of unpaid rent during the period between March 13, 2020, until the time of application, plus an additional three months of future rent. Eligibility is limited to renters in Riverside County with a current lease agreement who are earning 80% or below of the area’s median income and can document a loss of income due to COVID-19 economic impacts that leave them unable to make their rent. Assistance is provided without regard to immigration status.”
The Small Business Administration (SBA) “will begin registrations on Friday, April 30, 2021, at 9 a.m. EDT and open applications on Monday, May 3, 2021, at noon EDT for the Restaurant Revitalization Fund. The online application will remain open to any eligible establishment until all funds are exhausted.” It is a $28.6-billion fund.
“This program will provide restaurants with funding equal to their pandemic-related revenue loss up to $10 million per business and no more than $5 million per physical location,” the press release reads. “Funds must be used for allowable expenses by March 11, 2023.”
Priority will be given to businesses owned and controlled by women, veterans, and socially and economically disadvantaged individuals for the first 21 days.
Visit restaurants.sba.gov for more information and to register.
For information on SBA’s assistance to small businesses, visit sba.gov/ppp or treasury.gov/cares. To contact the county of Riverside’s Business and Community Services department, call 951-955-0493 or send an email to [email protected] for local assistance.
Visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) website at https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs, to become familiar with the laws and regulations pertaining to personal protective equipment, including what is mandatory with regards to respirators, etc.