Public Health Director Kim Saruwatari provided a data update that looked at the excess mortality rate in Riverside County. The analysis looked at the number of deaths that have occurred over a period of time.
The findings concluded that Riverside County has seen a 10 percent increase in the number of deaths between 2015 and 2019 within the same time frame.
Saruwatari noted that the coronavirus pandemic has played a role in the increase and encouraged residents to “stay the course” and continue to wash hands, wear a mask, and stay six feet apart from others.