Riverside County officials Friday, March 27 announced 185 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, up 78 from Thursday, as a city-by-city breakdown of cases was posted through an interactive map on the county’s public health website.

The number of COVID-19 deaths in the county is still eight. At least 24 of the cases were locally acquired.

Going into Friday night, the confirmed COVID-19 case breakdown for Riverside County cities was:

Riverside , 21 cases

, 21 cases Moreno Valley , 20 cases

, 20 cases Temecula , 16 cases

, 16 cases Palm Springs, 15 cases, two deaths

15 cases, two deaths Corona , 12 cases

, 12 cases Palm Desert , 12 cases, one death

, 12 cases, one death Eastvale , 11 cases

, 11 cases Murrieta , 11 cases

, 11 cases Rancho Mirage, nine cases, two deaths

nine cases, two deaths Menifee , eight cases

, eight cases Indio, eight cases, two deaths

eight cases, two deaths Wildomar , five cases

, five cases Beaumont , five cases, one death

, five cases, one death Perris , four cases

, four cases Lake Elsinore , four cases

, four cases La Quinta, four cases

four cases Cathedral City, three cases

three cases Desert Hot Springs, three cases

three cases Jurupa Valley , two cases

, two cases Norco , one case

, one case Banning , one case

, one case Hemet , one case

, one case Blythe, one case

one case San Jacinto, no cases

no cases Canyon Lake, no cases

no cases Calimesa, no cases

no cases Coachella, no cases

no cases Indian Wells, no cases

Most of the cases — 77 — are of people between the ages of 40 and 64. Fifty-six cases are of 18- to 39-year-olds, 36 are of 65- to 79-year-olds; 13 cases are of those 80 and older and two cases involve those in the 5- to 17-year-old range.

One hundred fifteen of the cases — 62% — are men, while 69 are women.

The county now plans to update case numbers once a day, in the afternoon. It’s not clear what time that will be.

Riverside Mayor Rusty Bailey said it’s not surprising that the city with the largest population would have the most confirmed cases, and said people should expect the number to rise.

“This should not be shocking to anyone, but it does reinforce the need to strictly adhere to the measures designed to prevent the spread of COVID-19,” Bailey said in a written statement. “As you head into another weekend, we hope that you are being mindful to love on your families, to reach out to those who may need support or (virtual) company, and to manage your own personal stress.”

Also Friday, county officials said a doctor at the Riverside Medical Clinic’s Day Street office had tested positive for COVID-19. The county is tracking down patients and staff who may be at risk of infection and the doctor — who was not identified — is expected to recover, a county news release read.

The clinic has scheduled testing for Saturday for patients who may have been exposed.

On Thursday, Dr. Geoff Leung at Riverside University Health System – Medical Center said that, if current projections stay the same, the county could have more than 1,000 COVID-19 deaths and more than 50,000 cases by May 1. At current rates, the county could reach hospital capacity and run out of ventilators by mid- to late-April; officials are already making plans to handle the surge.

The county’s coronavirus forecast could change, and officials are urging the public to stay at home, practice social distancing and take other steps to limit the virus’s spread.

Going into Friday, Riverside County had more confirmed coronavirus deaths than its neighbors.

San Bernardino County reported three COVID-19 deaths and 64 cases, while Orange County reported three deaths and 321 cases. Los Angeles County, which has a much larger population, has confirmed 26 deaths and 1,465 cases.

In a Thursday afternoon phone interview, Dr. Cameron Kaiser, Riverside County’s public health officer, attributed the county’s higher death figure to the fact that seven of the eight deaths were in the Coachella Valley, a region popular with elderly retirees who are more vulnerable to severe complications from COVID-19.

The county’s medical examiner also has been aggressive in testing the dead to see if they had the virus, Kaiser said. Riverside County’s higher mortality rate from the virus is probably due to its reported cases being too low and the rate should decline as the number of cases rises, he said.

Also, the county has traditionally had higher rates of chronic diseases than coastal counties.

On Friday afternoon, the county disclosed the coronavirus death of a 25-year-old pharmacy technician whose body was found Wednesday, March 25, at a La Quinta residence.

The man, whose identity was not released, was a San Diego County resident who was exposed to COVID-19 outside Riverside County. He was self-quarantined in La Quinta when he died, a county news release states.

Because he lived in San Diego County, his death has been assigned to that county, Riverside County spokeswoman Brooke Federico said. Riverside County’s eight COVID-19 deaths all involve residents over 70 and most had underlying health conditions.

Still, the death of the 25-year-old man, who had no underlying health issues, is “a deeply saddening reminder that COVID-19 kills the young and healthy too,” Kaiser said in the release.

Also Friday, Kaiser ordered all short-term lodging, including short-term home rentals, to limit their business to those seeking a place to stay because of COVID-19.

Rentals still allowed include lodging to protect the homeless or for essential workers, rooms for anyone who must leave their home to safely isolate away from family members and lodging for family displaced because someone is self-isolating at home.

Staff writer Ryan Hagen contributed to this report.