Riverside County Officials Share Words of Hope

Riverside County’s coronavirus cases appear to be keeping pace with predictions, but with other parts of the nation documenting a moderation in case counts, there’s a chance the county’s rate of increase might soften in the next several weeks, local health officials said Friday.

“Many of you in the small business community are losing tremendous amounts of money while we’re keeping the community safe,” Riverside University Health System Dr. Michael Mesisca said during a media briefing livestreamed from the County Administrative Center in Riverside.

“We hope to see some progress, but our modeling is still playing out,” he said. “We hear of other places where the positive (infection) rates are coming down, such as New York. We hope to see that here.”

Mesisca said the so-called “doubling rate” in which COVID-19 cases increase 100% every five days is proving accurate countywide, and he maintained the county’s position that a “surge” may yet max out the available hospital bed capacity — roughly 1,500 beds — before the end of the month. However, the doctor stressed that “a million small decisions” by residents would save lives and help arrest the spread of the virus.

“The message this Good Friday and Easter is one of tremendous sacrifice,” he said. “But it’s with purpose. The sacrifice we make today means there’s hope coming tomorrow.”

According to Mesisca, county Department of Public Health researchers are closely monitoring infection and recovery trends, and there’s a possibility the current projection of 65,000 COVID-19 cases by early May countywide will never materialize.

“As we look at the effects (of restrictions on public gatherings and travel beyond the home), we hope to have the numbers come down,” Mesisca said. “Once we have updated data, maybe we’ll start to see a more positive outcome. If we continue to do the (precautionary) steps, there will be a softening of the curve. When public health works, it often seems like an over-reaction. As measures are working, the numbers will start coming down.”

Board of Supervisors Chairman Victor Manuel Perez was vehement about the need for ongoing precautions by the public, but stressed that he was aware of the need to “get people back to work.”

“We’re all in this together, and there’s nothing more we want than to make sure we’re taking care of the public health of our communities. We need to do our part,” Perez said. “We want to get people back to work. We’re not at peak yet. The numbers are still growing. We will get you back to work, and we will get there soon.”

Department of Public Health Director Kim Saruwatari said that about 17,000 county residents have been tested for COVID-19, though that figure does not incorporate private testings at doctors’ offices and other locations.