At the previous city council meeting, Riverside County Health Officer Dr. Cameron Kaiser presented new contact tracing data for the Coachella Valley and Cathedral City in particular. Dr. Kaiser praised the residents of Cathedral City for getting tested at rates much higher than most other communities in the Coachella Valley. Prior to his data release, he did note a few caveats. One being that only 50% of those contacted by a contact tracer provided the needed information. Two being that younger adults were the least likely to respond to a contact tracer.
In the Coachella Valley, the categories that got the highest percentage of where COVID-19 was likely to be contracted were the following:
- “Other” (mix of locations) – 19.6%
- Grocery Stores – 17.8%
- Restaurants – 14.7%
- Retail Shops – 14.0%
- Healthcare Centers – 8.3%
In Cathedral City, the categories that got the highest percentage of where COVID-19 was likely to be contracted were the following:
- Grocery Stores – 24.3%
- “Other” (mix of locations) – 22.9%
- Restaurants – 21.0%
- Retail Shops – 14.43%
- STVR/Hotels – 4.3%
The common denominator to all of these locations are people interacting inside a building breathing the same air for a period of time longer than five minutes. It is important that you take the necessary steps to stop the spread of COVID-19 by wearing a face mask, social distance, wash your hands often and limit your time of exposure to others outside of your immediate household.
Prevention is the key to avoid contracting COVID-19. As Dr. Kaiser stated at the council meeting, “Hospitalization is a really expensive way of doing disease control.”
