January On Course to Become the Deadliest Month for the Coronavirus in Cathedral City
With more than 11 days to go before the end of the month, January is on tap to be the deadliest month since the coronavirus pandemic began. Already sixteen Cathedral City residents have died from COVID-19, which ties the number of deaths in July and December. More than 1,500 Cathedral City residents have contracted the coronavirus this month and more than 6,000 Cathedral City residents have acquired COVID-19 since it began. Nationwide, more than 410,000 Americans have died from the coronavirus and nearly 25 million have contracted the disease.
There are two tools in your toolbox to help prevent getting the coronavirus. First, are the preventative measures of:
- Wear a face mask when around others outside of your immediate household, even around extended family members
- If meeting others outside of your immediate household, try to meet outdoors.
- Social distance at least 6 feet away from others outside of your immediate household
- Limit your shopping in person to as few times each week as possible and avoid extended time inside a retail store, such as a grocery store. Take advantage of pre-ordering items and pick-up via curbside pick-up
- Wash your hands often throughout the day and especially before eating and drinking
- Disinfect often touched items like a smartphone that also touches your face
Secondly, if you are part of Phase 1a (all tiers) and Phase 1b (tier 1), then sign-up to receive the coronavirus vaccine. The vaccine is currently in limited supplies and appointment availability is sparse, but that will change as soon as more doses of the vaccine are shipped to Riverside County. More than 700,000 people are eligible to receive the vaccine in Riverside County which has a population of more than 2.5 million. However, Riverside County has only received 157,000 vaccine doses so far. Every person must receive two doses of the vaccine in order for it to be approximately 95% effective. If you receive the Pfizer vaccine, you must wait 21 days before receiving the second Pfizer shot. If you receive the Moderna vaccine, then you must wait 28 days before receiving the second Moderna shot. However, it is important that you do not wait too much longer after the minimum wait time to receive the second shot in order for the vaccine to be the most effective. Please know that you cannot intermix the shots; if you get a Pfizer shot for dose 1, your second shot must be a Pfizer shot and not a different brand. The same is true for Moderna shots. When making your second appointment after receiving your first shot, be sure the location offers the same type of shot you received as dose 1.
To schedule a vaccine appointment or learn the latest about the coronavirus vaccine, please go to https://www.ruhealth.org/covid-19-vaccine.
To schedule a vaccine appointment by phone, call 2-1-1.
