The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed Friday 34 new deaths and 1,401 new cases of COVID-19, with 6,048 total cases in the Santa Clarita Valley, while Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital reported its 24th COVID-related death to date.

To date, Public Health has identified 265,775 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County, and a total of 6,488 deaths.

Public Health is also reporting four new cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C). This brings the total number of MIS-C cases in L.A. County to 38 children.

All 38 children with MIS-C in L.A. County were hospitalized and 47% of the children were treated in the ICU. Twenty-six percent of these cases were between the ages of 0 and 4 years old, 37% were between the ages of 5 and 11 years old, and 37% were between the ages of 12 and 20 years old. Latino/Latinx children account for 71% of the reported cases. None of the children with MIS-C in L.A. County have died due to the illness.

MIS-C is a rare inflammatory condition associated with COVID-19 that can damage multiple organ systems, require hospitalization, and be life-threatening. MIS-C symptoms include fever that does not go away and inflamed body parts, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, or gastrointestinal organs. If you believe your child is displaying MIS-C symptoms, contact your primary care provider. If you do not have a primary care provider, dial 2-1-1 and L.A. County will help connect you to one.

California Friday Snapshot
Statewide, the California Department of Public Health confirmed a total of 794,040, with 15,398 deaths from the disease. There are 2,474 confirmed hospitalizations and 753 ICU hospitalizations in California.

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

There were 3,400 newly recorded confirmed cases Thursday. Numbers do not represent true day-over-day change as these results include cases from prior to yesterday.

The 7-day positivity rate is 2.8% and the 14-day positivity rate is 3.0%.

There have been 14,052,247 tests conducted in California. This represents an increase of 99,390 over the prior 24-hour reporting period.

As case numbers continue to rise in California, the total number of individuals who will have serious outcomes will also increase.

New Testing Turnaround Time Dashboard
The testing turnaround dashboard reports how long California patients are waiting for COVID-19 test results. California has worked to reduce testing turnaround times in recent weeks to help curb the spread of the virus. During the week of Sept. 13 – Sept. 19, the average time patients waited for test results was 1.2 days. During this same time period, 69 percent of patients received test results in 1 day and 90 percent received them within two days. The testing turnaround time dashboard (PDF) is updated weekly.

As of Sept. 22, 2020, California’s testing capacity and turnaround time have improved. As a result and until further notice, all four tiers in the Testing Prioritization Guidance originally dated July 14, 2020 will have equal priority for testing.

Health Care Worker Infection Rates
As of Sept. 24, local health departments have reported 38,179 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 183 deaths statewide.

Santa Clarita Valley Friday Update
As of 4:30 p.m. Friday, the L.A. County Public Health COVID-19 data dashboard revised the number of deaths in the city of Santa Clarita. Of the 57 (revised from 58) SCV deaths, 46 (revised from 47) lived in the city of Santa Clarita, 4 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 6,048 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 3,422

Castaic: 2,048 (includes Pitchess Detention Center and North County Correctional Facility*)

Stevenson Ranch: 163

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 133

Val Verde: 76

Acton: 70

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 46

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 27

Agua Dulce: 27

Bouquet Canyon: 8

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 8

Elizabeth Lake: 7

Sand Canyon: 7

Lake Hughes: 4

Saugus/Canyon Country: 2

*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
As of Friday, Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital reported its 24th COVID-related death according to hospital spokesman Patrick Moody.

As of the Friday, 8,149 people tested at Henry Mayo to date, 878 tested positive, 9,551 were negative, 13 were pending, 12 patients were hospitalized in a dedicated unit receiving ICU-level care, and a total of 255 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,” Moody said.

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

L.A. County

“To the families and friends who are mourning their loved ones, we are deeply sorry, and wish you healing and peace,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “We have seen slight increases in new cases and are paying attention to our case, hospitalization and death numbers to understand recent community transmission of COVID-19. Data through this upcoming weekend will inform our understanding of the impact of Labor Day holiday actions. This information will inform decisions on re-opening.”

As of Sept. 22, there have been a total of three deaths among the 1,853 pregnant women that tested positive for COVID-19. Eighty percent of pregnant women testing positive for COVID-19 are Latina/Latinx, 7% are White, 4% are African American/Black, 3% are Asian, 4% identify with another race, and race/ethnicity was unknown or unspecified for 1%. Among the 956 births where there was testing information, 16 babies tested positive for the virus.

Public Health encourages expecting and new moms to take extra care and remain home as much as possible to avoid potential exposure. If you must go out, wear a cloth face covering, keep physical distance from anyone who is not from your household, and wash hands frequently especially right before caring for your baby. If you are sick or positive for COVID-19 and breastfeeding, wear a mask while breastfeeding or bottle-feeding, and be sure to wash your hands before touching the baby or any pump or bottle before using. If possible, ask someone else to feed the baby your breastmilk by bottle. Public Health has detailed guidance for expecting and new moms [here].

While there are steps pregnant women and new mothers can take to lower the risk of being exposed to COVID-19, all residents and businesses can contribute to protecting people who are vulnerable to serious illness from the virus by using the tools we have to reduce transmission: implementing all requirements in the business protocols, practicing physical distancing and wearing a cloth face covering when out and around other people, washing or sanitizing hands frequently, isolating if you have tested positive for COVID-19 and quarantining if you have been exposed to someone who has tested positive for the virus.

Of the 34 new deaths reported today (excluding Long Beach and Pasadena), 14 people that passed away were over the age of 80, nine people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, six people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64 years old and two people who died were between the ages of 30 and 49 years old. Twenty-eight people had underlying health conditions including 13 people over the age of 80 years old, eight people between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, five people between the ages of 50 and 64 years old, and two people between the ages of 30 and 49. Three deaths were reported by the city of Long Beach.

Ninety-two percent of the people who died from COVID-19 had underlying health conditions. Of those who died, information about race and ethnicity is available for 6,106 people (99 percent of the cases reported by Public Health); 51% of deaths occurred among Latino/Latinx residents, 23% 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, 40 cases and one death reported earlier were not L.A. County residents.

Testing results are available for more than 2,609,000 individuals with 9% of all people testing positive. There are 760 confirmed cases currently hospitalized and 28% of these people are confirmed cases in the ICU.

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.

California Friday

Blueprint for a Safer Economy

Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled the Blueprint for a Safer Economy, a statewide plan for reducing COVID-19 and keeping Californians healthy and safe. The plan 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.

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.

Popular links include:

– 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)

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 Sept. 21, 88 cases of MIS-C have been reported statewide. To protect patient confidentiality in counties with fewer than 11 cases, we are 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 is critical to preventing long-term complications.

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.