RIVERSIDE – (INT) – Riverside County is experiencing an ‘excess’ mortality rate.

Public Health Director Kim Saruwatari provided a data update that covered the number of deaths over an extended period of time.

An analysis found that Riverside County has seen a 10 percent increase in the number of deaths between 2015-2019 within the same time frame.

Saruwatari noted that the coronavirus pandemic has played a role in the increase but there was no mention of the county’s steadily increasing population during the same 4-years. There was no breakdown in the causes of the increased mortality.

With the ongoing pandemic, she encouraged residents to “stay the course” and continue to wash hands, wear a mask and stay six feet apart from others.

Story Date: November 18, 2020