The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health on Friday confirmed 62 new deaths and 2,885 new cases of COVID-19, with a total of 3,868 COVID-19 cases confirmed in the SCV to date, including 1,743 in the city of Santa Clarita.

Over the last 48 hours, there have been 7,477 new cases in the county. To date, Public Health has identified 150,319 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County, and a total of 4,047 deaths.

According to Public Health records last updated 8 p.m. Wednesday, July 15, 41 SCV residents have died of the virus to date: 33 resided in the city of Santa Clarita, 2 in Acton, 2 in Castaic, 1 in Val Verde, 1 in unincorporated Valencia, 1 in unincorporated Bouquet Canyon, and 1 in a community not yet named.

Countywide, 93% of people who died had underlying health conditions.

There are 2,122 confirmed cases of COVID-19 currently hospitalized; 26% of these people are confirmed cases in the ICU and 18% are confirmed cases on ventilators.

Data continue to show younger people between the ages of 18 and 40 years old are being hospitalized at a higher rate than seen at any point in this pandemic.

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)
Public Health continues to monitor for multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) that is affecting a number of children under 21 years of age across the country who may have been exposed to COVID-19 or has COVID-19.

To date, Public Health has identified 15 cases of MIS-C in L.A. County with a median age of 8 years, 7 months old. Forty percent of these cases were between ages of 0 and 5 years old, 40% were between 6 and 12 years old, and 20% were between 13 and 20 years old. The majority of cases (73%) were Latino/Latinx. No reported cases have died. MIS-C is a condition where different body parts can become inflamed, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, or gastrointestinal organs.

Public Health is advising physicians to consider for MIS-C in patient children under 21 years old who present with the clinical presentation and to notify the department immediately of any cases.

California Snapshot
Statewide, the California Department of Public Health on Monday confirmed a total of 366,164 cases as of July 16 (up 9,986), with 7,475 deaths (up 130) from the disease.

There were 6,808 confirmed hospitalizations and 1,941 ICU hospitalizations in California.

As of July 16, local health departments have reported 18,857 confirmed positive cases in healthcare workers and 105 deaths statewide.

The 7-day average more accurately describes trends in the number of cases. California’s 7-day average number of new cases is 8,838 per day, an increase of 829 above the 7-day average of 8,009 from the week prior.

California’s positivity rate – a key indicator of community spread – is trending upward in the 14-day average, as are hospitalization rates.

Santa Clarita Valley Friday Update
Of the 3,868 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 1,743

Castaic: 1,833 (includes Pitchess Detention Center and North County Correctional Facility*)

Stevenson Ranch: 90

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 61

Acton: 37

Val Verde: 36

Agua Dulce: 15

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 28

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 11

Elizabeth Lake: 5

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 4

Sand Canyon: 2

Bouquet Canyon: 1

Lake Hughes: 1

Saugus/Canyon Country: 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 Friday Update
Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital reported its 15th COVID-related death on Monday, July 13, according to Patrick Moody, hospital spokesman.

As of Wednesday, of the 4,482 people tested at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital to date, 495 tested positive, 4,201 were negative, 458 were pending, 23 patients were hospitalized in a dedicated unit receiving ICU-level care (up from 15 a week ago) and a total of 140 COVID-19 patients have been discharged so far, Moody said.

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

The 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.

Of the 41 SCV residents who have died of the virus to date, 33 resided in the city of Santa Clarita, 2 in Acton, 2 in Castaic, 1 in Val Verde, 1 in unincorporated Valencia, 1 in unincorporated Bouquet Canyon, and 1 in a community not yet named, according to Public Health records as of 8 p.m. Wednesday, July 15.

L.A. County Demographics, Testing
“To the families that are experiencing the sorrow of losing a loved one to COVID-19, please know that our thoughts and prayers are with you every day,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health.

Of the 62 new deaths, 45 people who died were over the age of 65 years old, 15 people who died were between 41 and 65 and one person who died was between 18 and 40. 22 people had underlying health conditions including nine people over 65 and 13 people 41 to 65 years old. One death was reported by the city of Long Beach.

Two deaths were reported by the city of Long Beach and one death was reported by the city of Pasadena.

Of those who died, information about race and ethnicity is available for 3,760 people (99 percent of the cases reported by Public Health); 46% of deaths occurred among Latino/Latinx residents, 26% among White residents, 15% among Asian residents, 11% among African American/Black residents, less than 1% among Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander residents and 2% among residents identifying with other races.

Upon further investigation, 133 cases and seven deaths reported earlier were not L.A. County residents.

Data continues to expose disproportionality in health outcomes by race, ethnicity and income level data. African American/Black and Latino/Latinx people are twice as likely to die from COVID-19 when compared to White people.

Communities with high levels of poverty are four times as likely to die of COVID-19 compared to residents with the highest income.

The high rates of cases and deaths reflect a number of factors, including the effects of systemic racism and discrimination in the Country and a lack of access to the resources and opportunities needed for good health.

Testing results are available for more than 1,465,000 individuals with 9% of all people testing positive.

July 13 Health Order Modifications
To help slow the spread of the COVID-19 and protect students, teachers and the school community, a new Health Officer Order will be issued Friday to adhere to the California Department of Public Health’s directive that schools in Los Angeles County and 31 other counties on the state’s monitoring list cannot resume in-person learning next month.

On July 13, Public Health also modified its Health Officer Order to align with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s directives issued that day to prevent more cases, more serious illnesses, increased hospitalizations and more deaths.

The Order requires the closure of the following sectors for all indoor operations:

* Gyms and Fitness Centers

* Places of Worship

* Indoor Protests

* Offices for Non-Critical Infrastructure Sectors as identified at covid19.ca.gov

* Personal Care Services(including nail salons, massage parlors, and tattoo parlors)

* Hair Salons and Barbershops

* Indoor Malls

Bars, indoor dining at restaurants, indoor museums, indoor operations at zoos and aquariums, and cardrooms and satellite wagering facilities remain closed and all events and gatherings unless specifically allowed by this Order remain prohibited.

Businesses must continue to follow Public Health directives. It is the collective responsibility shared between everyone including businesses and residents to slow the spread of COVID-19 to prevent an overwhelming surge of COVID-19 cases at healthcare facilities and save lives.

Best Protections — Now More than Ever
Everyone must take immediate action in order to slow the spread of COVID-19. Stay home if you are elderly or have serious underlying health conditions. Everyone else should stay home as much as possible, and limit activities outside of your home to what is essential – work, getting groceries and medicine, and medical visits.

Everyone should avoid the Three Cs: Crowded places, Confined spaces and Close contact with others not in your household.

Public Health reminds everyone that you remain safer at home. The actions of everyone to slow the spread cannot wait.

The best protection against COVID-19 continues to be to wash your hands frequently, avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands, self-isolate if you are sick, practice physical distancing and wear a clean face covering when in contact with others from outside your household.

Everyone must always wear a face covering securely over your nose and mouth and keep six feet apart from others not in your household when out and about.

L.A. County Public Health’s 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.

California July 13 Reopenings Rollback
A total of 32 California counties accounting for 80 percent of the state’s population including Los Angeles and Ventura are now required by the California Department of Public Health to close indoor operations for certain sectors based on the state’s July 13 order to slow community transmission.

See the complete list of counties here.

California County Monitoring Data
California is using data and science to respond to COVID-19. Data by county gives Californians insight into how their county is doing and provides an early indication of developing areas of concern.

Counties on the County Monitoring List for three or more consecutive days must close indoor operations for additional activities.

For more information, visit the County Data Monitoring webpage.

California Testing
There have been 6,044,099 tests conducted in California, an increase of 128,591 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 25 state and county health labs currently testing.

More than 85 community testing sites also offer free, confidential testing: Find a COVID-19 Testing Site.

The California Department of Public Health released updated testing guidance on July 14 that focuses on testing hospitalized individuals with signs or symptoms of COVID-19 and people being tested as part of the investigation and management of outbreaks, including contact tracing.

The testing guidance also prioritizes individuals who have COVID-19 symptoms and individuals without symptoms who fall into high-risk categories, including people who live and work in nursing homes, homeless shelters and prisons, healthcare workers, and patients in hospitals.

The new guidance will ensure that Californians who most need tests get them even if there are limited supplies.

California Demographics
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 more than one-and-a-half times their population representation across all adult age categories. For Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, overall numbers are low, but almost double 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.

Protect Yourself and Your Family
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 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

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.

It’s important if someone thinks they could be positive for COVID-19 and are awaiting testing results to stay at home and act as if they are positive. This means self-isolating for 10 days and 72 hours after symptoms and fever subside. If a person tests positive for COVID-19, they should plan on receiving a call from a public health specialist to discuss how to protect themselves and others, to find out where they may have been, and who they were in close contact with while infectious.

California COVID-19 Data and Tools
A wide range of data and analysis guides California’s response to COVID-19. The state is making the data and its analytical tools available to researchers, scientists and the public at covid19.ca.gov.

* The Statewide COVID-19 Dashboard

* The California COVID-19 Assessment Tool (CalCAT)

* State Cases and Deaths Associated with COVID-19 by Age Group

* COVID-19 Race & Ethnicity Data

* COVID-19 Hospital Data and Case Statistics

* View additional datasets at the California Open Data Portal (including Testing Data, PPE Logistics Data, Hospital Data, Homeless Impact and more)

Consolidated guidance is available on the California Department of Public Health’s Guidance webpage.

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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.