The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health on Friday confirmed 47 new deaths and 1,439 new cases of COVID-19, including 25 new cases in the Santa Clarita Valley, bringing the SCV total to 5,484 confirmed cases and 55 deaths since the pandemic began.

To date, Public Health has identified 246,407 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County, and a total of 5,977 deaths.

“Every day we think of all the many families experiencing the profound loss of losing a loved one to COVID-19 and send our deepest sympathies,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health.

Testing results are available for more than 2,347,000 individuals with 10% of all people testing positive.

Have Fun, Safely

“We have an opportunity this holiday weekend to change the trajectory of the virus in L.A. County,” Ferrer said. “Our last two summer holidays both led to increases in cases, hospitalizations and deaths. I believe it is possible to celebrate Labor Day without repeating our last failures if everyone understands how much depends on individual actions we each will take.

“Please have fun without exposing others or yourself to COVID-19,” she said. “This is not the time or place for parties or gatherings. We will all win if we each do our part.”

Hospitalizations Down

The county continues to see significant reductions in the number of people positive for COVID-19 that are hospitalized. Currently, there are 992 people who are confirmed cases currently hospitalized and 30% of these people are in the ICU.

This is more than a 50% decrease from the more than 2,000 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in early August.

MIS-C Cases Up

As COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to decline, Public Health reports three additional cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C). This brings the total cases of MIS-C in L.A. County to 31 children.

All of the 31 children with MIS-C in L.A. County were hospitalized and nearly half of the children treated in the ICU. Twenty-six percent of these cases were between the ages of 0 and 5 years old, 39% were between the ages of 6 and 12 years old, and 35% were between the ages of 13 and 20 years old. Latino/Latinx children continue to make up the majority of cases accounting for 71% of all cases. There continues to be no reported deaths in children with MIS-C in LA County.

Parents and guardians are urged to contact their child’s primary care provider if they believe their child is displaying MIS-C symptoms — inflamed body parts, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, or gastrointestinal organs. If they do not have a primary care provider, dial 2-1-1 and L.A. County will help connect them to one.

California Friday Snapshot

Statewide, as of Thursday, September 3, the California Department of Public Health confirmed a total of 722,283 COVID-19 cases (up 5,106), with 13,490 deaths from the disease (up 163).

There are 3,513 confirmed hospitalizations and 1,107 ICU hospitalizations in the state, continuing a downward trend.

California’s 7-day positivity rate is 4.3% and the 14-day positivity rate is 4.9%, also continuing a downward trend.

As of September 3, local health departments have reported 33,307 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 157 deaths statewide.

Numbers may not represent true day-over-day change as reporting of test results can be delayed.

COVID Around the World: USA #1 with a Bullet
Worldwide, 26,493,914 people have been infected by COVID-19 while 872,250 people have died as of 3:28 Friday afternoon, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

Since the pandemic began, more than 6,196,582 Americans have been diagnosed with COVID-19, while the number of people in the U.S. who have died due to the virus has surpassed 187,618.

The United States has the world’s highest numbers of cases and deaths. By comparison, Brazil, at #2, had confirmed 4,091,801 million cases and 125,502 deaths as of Friday afternoon.

Santa Clarita Valley Friday Update

The L.A. County Public Health COVID-19 data dashboard as of the latest update at 8 p.m. Wednesday, September 2 has confirmed 55 SCV residents have died of the virus since the pandemic began.

Of the dead, 43 lived in the city of Santa Clarita, 5 in Castaic, 2 in Acton, 2 in Stevenson Ranch, 1 in unincorporated Bouquet Canyon, 1 in Val Verde, and 1 in unincorporated Valencia.

Of the 5,484 cases reported to Public Health among SCV residents to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 3,054

Castaic: 1,911 (most from Pitchess Detention Center and North County Correctional Facility*)

Stevenson Ranch: 155

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 118

Val Verde: 64

Acton: 62

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 41

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 26

Agua Dulce: 25

Bouquet Canyon: 6

Elizabeth Lake: 6

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 6

Sand Canyon: 6

Lake Hughes: 2

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 Memorial Hospital on Monday, August 31 reported its 22nd death since the pandemic began, according to hospital spokesman Patrick Moody.

Henry Mayo now releases statistics weekly, on Wednesdays, unless there is a drastic change in the number of cases or a COVID-related death has been confirmed.

As of Wednesday, September 2, of the 6,951 people tested at Henry Mayo to date, 799 tested positive, 7,990 were negative, 19 were pending, 10 patients were hospitalized in a dedicated unit receiving ICU-level care (same as the previous Wednesday), and a total of 238 COVID-19 patients have been discharged so far. COVID-19 fatalities at Henry Mayo stand at 22, 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.

L.A. County Demographics

Of the 47 new deaths reported Friday, 14 people that passed away (excluding Long Beach and Pasadena) were over the age of 80 years old, 16 people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, 11 people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64 years old, and four people who died were between the ages of 30 and 49 years old.

Countywide, 92% of people who died had underlying health conditions.

Twenty-nine people had underlying health conditions including nine people over the age of 80 years old, 10 people between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, six people between the ages of 50 and 64 years old, and four people between the ages of 30 and 49 years old. One death was reported by the City of Long Beach and one death was reported by the City of Pasadena.

Cases by Age Group (Los Angeles County only — excluding Long Beach and Pasadena)

* 0 to 4 3805

* 5 to 11 8315

* 12 to 17 10298

* 18 to 29 57753

* 30 to 49 80171

* 50 to 64 45068

* 65 to 79 17898

* over 80 8448

* Under Investigation 1425

L.A. County Demographics: Race/Ethnicity

Of those who died, information about race and ethnicity is available for 5,622 people (99 percent of the cases reported by Public Health); 51% of deaths occurred among Latino/Latinx residents, 24% among White residents, 15% among Asian residents, 10% 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, 85 cases and two deaths reported earlier were not L.A. County residents.

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 Blueprint for a Safer Economy

Governor Newsom’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy imposes risk-based criteria on tightening and loosening COVID-19 allowable activities and expands the length of time between changes to assess how any movement affects the trajectory of the disease.

Californians can go to covid19.ca.gov to find out where their county falls and what activities are allowable in each county.

California Testing

There have been 11,796,970 tests conducted in California. This represents an increase of 133,046 over the prior 24-hour reporting period.

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

The CDPH released updated testing guidance on July 23 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.

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)

Each week, the California Department of Public Health updates the number of cases of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) reported in the state.

As of August 31, there have been 57 cases of MIS-C reported statewide, an increase of 10 over the previous week.

To protect patient confidentiality in counties with fewer than 11 cases, CDPH is not providing total counts at this time.

MIS-C is a rare inflammatory condition associated with COVID-19 that can damage multiple organ systems. MIS-C can require hospitalization and be life-threatening.

Parents should be aware of the signs and symptoms of MIS-C including fever that does not go away, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, neck pain, rash, bloodshot eyes or feeling tired.

Contact your child’s doctor immediately if your child has these symptoms. Early diagnosis and treatment of patients are critical to preventing long-term complications.

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 (COVID-19):

* Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

* California Department of Public Health

* Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

* Spanish

* World Health Organization

* Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 Dashboard

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

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