The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed 2,779 new cases of COVID-19 and 45 new deaths due to the virus countywide, with a total of 3,185 confirmed COVID-19 cases reported in the Santa Clarita Valley since the pandemic began.

This is the third consecutive day of new cases over 2,100. Public Health is reporting continued increases in cases and hospitalizations.

There are 1,783 people currently hospitalized, 26% of these people are confirmed cases in the ICU and 18% are confirmed cases on ventilators. This is significantly higher than the 1,350 to 1,450 daily hospitalizations seen in recent weeks.

In the SCV, 31 people have died of the virus to date, according to Public Health records — 24 resided in the city of Santa Clarita, 2 in Acton, 2 in Castaic, 1 in unincorporated Valencia, 1 in unincorporated Bouquet Canyon and 1 in Val Verde.

Countywide, Public Health has reported 103,529 positive cases of COVID-19 and a total of 3,369 deaths to date. Ninety-four percent of people who died had underlying health conditions.

Statewide, as of June 29, the California Department of Public Health has confirmed a total of 222,917 cases and 5,980 deaths from COVID-19. Currently, there are 5,077 confirmed hospitalizations and 1,528 ICU hospitalizations. Numbers may not represent true day-over-day change as reporting of test results can be delayed.

California’s positivity rate – a key indicator of community spread – is trending modestly upward in the 14-day average. Hospitalization rates are also trending upwards in the 14-day average. California has 222,917 confirmed cases to date. Numbers may not represent true day-over-day change as reporting of test results can be delayed. There have been 4,167,139 tests conducted in California. As testing capacity continues to increase across the state, an increase in the number of positive cases has been expected – increasing the importance of positivity rates to find signs of community spread. There have been 5,980 COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

Health Care Worker Infection Rates
As of June 29, local health departments have reported 14,942 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 89 deaths statewide.

Santa Clarita Valley Tuesday Update
Of the 3,082 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 1,192

Castaic: 1,792 (includes Pitchess Detention Center and North County Correctional Facility*)

Stevenson Ranch: 61

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 46

Val Verde: 29

Acton: 24

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 13

Agua Dulce: 13

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 6

Elizabeth Lake: 4

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 3

Bouquet Canyon: 1

Lake Hughes: 1

*Note: The county is unable to break out separate numbers for Castaic and PDC/NCCF because the county uses geotagging software that cannot be changed at this time, according to officials. Click here for the LASD COVID-19 dashboard.

Henry Mayo Tuesday Update
Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital is now releasing numbers on a weekly basis (Wednesdays) unless there is a drastic change in the number of cases or a death has been confirmed.

As of Wednesday, June 24 (when the most recent numbers were released), of the 2,725 persons tested at Henry Mayo to date, 282 tested positive, 2,766 were negative, 50 were pending and 13 patients were hospitalized in a dedicated unit receiving ICU-level care. A total of 99 COVID-19 patients have been discharged so far.

Discrepancies in the testing numbers are due to some patients being tested multiple times. “Often a single patient is tested more than once,” said hospital spokesman Patrick Moody.

L.A. County
Everyone should always wear a face covering securely over your nose and mouth and keep six feet apart from others not in your household when out in public. Businesses must continue to follow Public Health directives. Public Health reminds everyone that you remain safer at home.

“Our community has experienced incredible loss during the COVID-19 pandemic. For the families who are mourning loved ones who have passed away, we are mourning with you. We wish you healing and peace during this very sad time,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “The LA County community needs to come together again to slow the spread of COVID-19, and we need to act with haste and urgency. The increases in cases and hospitalizations we are seeing will result in more deaths. It is on all of us, businesses and residents, to use all the tools we know prevent further transmission of the virus. Closely following all protocols for physical distancing, wearing cloth face coverings and washing hands frequently are crucial at this moment for preventing more serious illness and death from COVID-19.”

Twenty-nine people who died were over the age of 65 years old and 11 people who died were between the ages of 41 and 65 years old. Thirty-one people had underlying health conditions including 25 people over the age of 65 years old and six people between the ages of 41 to 65 years old. Five deaths were reported by the City of Long Beach.

Ninety-three percent of people who died had underlying health conditions. Of those who died, information about race and ethnicity is available for 3,130 people (99 percent of the cases reported by Public Health); 43% of deaths occurred among Latino/Latinx residents, 27% among White residents, 17% among Asian residents, 11% among African American/Black residents, less than 1% among Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander residents and 1% among residents identifying with other races. Upon further investigation, 22 cases and two deaths reported earlier were not L.A. County residents. Testing results are available for nearly 1,107,000 individuals, with 9% of people testing positive.

Yesterday, a Health Officer Order was issued that closes L.A. County beaches from July 3 through July 6 at 5:00 a.m. to prevent crowded situations that could result in more spread of COVID-19. All public beaches, piers, public beach parking lots, beach bike paths that traverse that sanded portion of the beach, and beach access points will be temporarily closed to the public. The Order also prohibits fireworks displays.

The Reopening Protocols, COVID-19 Surveillance Interactive Dashboard, Roadmap to Recovery, Recovery Dashboard, and additional things you can do to protect yourself, your family and your community are on the Public Health website, www.publichealth.lacounty.gov.

Please note: During July 4 through July 5, Public Health will make improvements to the data processing systems which will result in no new data being reported on those days. This pause in reporting will not affect the collection of this data or outbreak investigations.

California Tuesday
As testing capacity continues to increase across the state, the California Department of Public Health is working to expand access to COVID-19 testing. Testing should be used for medical evaluation of persons with symptoms of COVID-19 as well as for efforts by public health agencies and essential employers to prevent and control the spread of COVID-19. Individuals prioritized for testing include:

– Hospitalized patients

– Symptomatic and asymptomatic healthcare workers, first responders, and other social service employees

– Symptomatic individuals age 65 and older or symptomatic individuals of any age with chronic medical conditions that increase the risk of severe COVID-19 illness

– Individuals who are tested as part of disease control efforts in high-risk settings

– Asymptomatic residents and employees of congregate living facilities when needed to prevent disease transmission

– Symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals in essential occupations such as grocery store and food supply workers, utility workers and public employees

– Other individuals with symptoms consistent with COVID-19

As of June 29, there have been 4,167,139 tests conducted in California and reported to the California Department of Public Health. This represents an increase of 105,447 tests over the prior 24-hour reporting period. These numbers include data from commercial, private and academic labs, including Quest, LabCorp, Kaiser, University of California and Stanford, and the the 25 state and county health labs currently testing.

Racial Demographics – A More Complete Picture
The California Department of Public Health is committed to health equity and collecting more detailed racial and ethnic data that will provide additional understanding for determining future action. Health outcomes are affected by forces including structural racism, poverty and the disproportionate prevalence of underlying conditions such as asthma and heart disease among Latinos and African American Californians. Only by looking at the full picture can we understand how to ensure the best outcomes for all Californians.

The differences in health outcomes related to COVID-19 are most stark in COVID-19 deaths. We have nearly complete data on race and ethnicity for COVID-19 deaths, and we are seeing the following trends. Overall, for adults 18 and older, Latinos, African Americans and Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders are dying at disproportionately higher levels. The proportion of COVID-19 deaths in African Americans is about double their population representation across all adult age categories. For Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, overall numbers are low, but about three-fold difference between the proportion of COVID-19 deaths and their population representation. More males are dying from COVID-19 than females, in line with national trends. More information is available at COVID-19 Race and Ethnicity Data.

New Data Portal
The state has launched a new, user-friendly data portal at COVID-19 Statewide Update that tracks COVID-19 cases statewide and by county, gender, age and ethnicity. The portal also outlines statewide hospitalizations and testing efforts. The data presented on the portal will be updated daily and will include additional information as it is available.

Your Actions Save Lives
Every person has a role to play. Protecting yourself and your family comes down to common sense:

– Staying home except for essential needs/activities following local and state public health guidelines when patronizing approved businesses. To the extent that such sectors are re-opened, Californians may leave their homes to work at, patronize, or otherwise engage with those businesses, establishments or activities.

– Practicing social distancing.

– Wearing a cloth face mask when out in public.

– Washing hands with soap and water for a minimum of 20 seconds.

– Avoiding touching eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands.

– Covering a cough or sneeze with your sleeve, or disposable tissue. Wash your hands afterward.

– Avoiding close contact with people who are sick.

– Staying away from work, school or other people if you become sick with respiratory symptoms like fever and cough.

– Following guidance from public health officials.

Always check with trusted sources for the latest accurate information about novel coronavirus:

– Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

– California Department of Public Health

– Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

– Spanish

– World Health Organization

L.A. County residents can also call 2-1-1.

What to Do if You Think You’re Sick
Call ahead: If you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 (fever, cough or shortness of breath), call your health care provider before seeking medical care so that appropriate precautions can be taken. More than 85 community testing sites also offer free, confidential testing: Find a COVID-19 Testing Site.

For more information about what Californians can do to prevent the spread of COVID-19, visit Coronavirus (COVID-19) in California.

California continues to issue guidance on preparing and protecting California from COVID-19. Consolidated guidance is available on the California Department of Public Health’s Guidance webpage.

To view Los Angeles County’s Incident Report for Tuesday, see below:

[Open .pdf in new window]