The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health on Friday confirmed 23 new deaths and 2,773 new positive cases of COVID-19, including 56 new cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.

The SCV has now had a total of 7,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 73 deaths from the virus since the World Health Organization declared the pandemic on March 11.

L.A. County’s high number of new cases include backlog cases due to technical issues with data reporting systems this week. Public Health officials anticipate receiving additional backlog test results over the next few days.

To date, the department has identified 296,821 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County, and a total of 6,974 deaths. Upon further investigation, 17 cases and five deaths reported earlier were not county residents.

“We send our heartfelt condolences to everyone who has lost a loved one or friend to COVID-19,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health.

There are 769 people currently hospitalized with COVID-19 countywide, and 29% of them are in the ICU. The number of daily hospitalizations has remained stable and under 800 daily hospitalizations since mid-September.

Test results are available for more than 3,000,000 county residents, with 9% of all people testing positive.

Go-kart fun at Mountasia Family Fun Center in Saugus. | Photo: Rob Comeau.

County OK’s Reopening of Personal Care, Outdoor Entertainment, More

Public Health in consultation with the Board of Supervisors is revising the Health Officer Order to allow for the re-opening of additional personal care services indoors with modifications (in addition to hair salons and nail salons), as well as outdoor operations such as go-carts, mini-golf and batting cages.

In addition, the percentage of high-needs students permitted at a school campus for on-site learning has been increased from 10% to 25%, allowing more students to return for in-person instruction and services.

Public Health will also modify the Health Officer Order for breweries and wineries; reservations will no longer be required at these establishments, though they are strongly recommended.

In addition, wine tastings for retail sales will no longer require a meal to be served. Comprehensive protocols for all sectors that reopen will be posted online to ensure infection control and distancing and the continued health and safety of workers and the community.

Businesses are required to implement the protocols prior to reopening to ensure they are in compliance with the Health Officer Order and to avoid citations, fines, and possible closure.

See more L.A. County info later in this report.

California Friday Snapshot

Statewide, as of Thursday, October 22, the California Department of Public Health confirmed a total of 886,865 COVID-19 cases (up 6,141, including 2,000 backlogged L.A. County), with 17,262 deaths from the disease (up 73).

There are 2,338 confirmed hospitalizations and 650 ICU hospitalizations in the state, holding steady.

California’s 7-day positivity rate is 2.9% and the 14-day positivity rate is 2.8%, continuing an upward trend.

As of October 22, local health departments have reported 43,113 confirmed positive cases in healthcare workers and 197 deaths statewide.

There have been 17,483,293 COVID-19 tests conducted in California, an increase of 124,523 over the prior 24-hour reporting period.

Numbers do not represent true day-over-day change as these results include cases from prior to yesterday.

See more California info later in this report.

COVID Worldwide: New Wave Surges in Europe, U.S. Cases Nearing Record July Highs

Worldwide, 42,006,178 people have been infected by COVID-19 while 1,140,759 people have died as of 12:24 Friday afternoon Pacific Time, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

More than 71,600 new U.S. cases were reported by JHU on Thursday, approaching a record number of daily infections set in late July as the outbreak takes root across the Midwest and hospitalizations rise.

Since the pandemic began, more than 8,458,554 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 223,602.

The U.S., with 4.25% of the world’s population and more than 20% of the confirmed cases, also continues to lead the world in deaths.

By comparison, No. 2 Brazil’s death toll is 155,900. India, at No. 2 in cases, had confirmed 7,761,312 cases and 117,306 deaths as of Friday afternoon.

Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital Friday Update
On Tuesday night, Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital in Valencia reported its 30th COVID-19 death since the pandemic began, spokesman Patrick 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, he said.

As of Wednesday afternoon, of the 9,693 people tested at Henry Mayo to date, 997 tested positive, 11,486 were negative, 44 were pending, 12 patients were hospitalized in a dedicated unit receiving ICU-level care, and a total of 290 COVID-19 patients have been treated and 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.

Santa Clarita Valley Friday Update

As of 8 p.m. Wednesday, October 21, the latest update to its COVID-19 data dashboard, L.A. County Public Health reported 73 deaths in the Santa Clarita Valley since the pandemic began.

Of the 73 SCV residents who have died since the pandemic began, 60 lived in the city of Santa Clarita, 5 in Castaic, 2 in Acton, 3 in Stevenson Ranch, 1 in unincorporated Bouquet Canyon, 1 in Val Verde, and 1 in unincorporated Valencia.

Privacy laws prohibit the hospital from releasing the community of residence for patients who die.

Of the 7,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 4,117

Castaic: 2,161 (includes Pitchess Detention Center and North County Correctional Facility*)

Stevenson Ranch: 192

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 169

Val Verde: 102

Acton: 80

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 52

Agua Dulce: 31

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 31

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 24

Bouquet Canyon: 10

Saugus/Canyon Country: 11

Elizabeth Lake: 8

Sand Canyon: 7

Lake Hughes: 5

*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.

COVID and Kids: Two More MIS-C Cases Bring County Total to 43

Public Health is reporting two additional cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C). This brings the total cases of MIS-C in L.A. County to 43 children. All 43 children with MIS-C in L.A. County were hospitalized and nearly 50% of the children were treated in the ICU. Of the children with MIS-C, 26% were under the age of 5 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 72% of the reported cases. No children have died from MIS-C in L.A. County.

“As we root for our teams this weekend, let’s do our best to not transmit or become infected with COVID-19,” Ferrer said.

“The safest way to celebrate your team is to do so in the comfort of your home with your household or participating in a virtual watch party,” she said. “If you do decide to leave your home, remember to avoid indoor gatherings, confined spaces, and crowds, as each of these situations carries a high risk for the spread of COVID-19. Players and staff have taken extraordinary measures to avoid virus transmission; we can follow their examples as we cheer them on to victory.”

More L.A. County Demographics: Age

Of the 23 new deaths reported today, eight people that passed away were over the age of 80 years old, 10 people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, four people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64 years old, and one person who died was between the ages of 30 and 49 years old.

Ninety-three percent of the people who died from COVID-19 had underlying health conditions.

Twenty-one people who died had underlying health conditions including seven people over the age of 80, 10 people between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, and four people between the ages of 50 and 64 years old, and one person between the ages of 30 and 49 years old.

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

* 0 to 4 4871

* 5 to 11 10485

* 12 to 17 12967

* 18 to 29 69771

* 30 to 49 96196

* 50 to 64 54140

* 65 to 79 21416

* over 80 9704

* Under Investigation 1740

More L.A. County Demographics: Race/Ethnicity

Of those who died, information about race and ethnicity is available for 6,570 people (99 percent of the cases reported by Public Health); 52% of deaths occurred among Latino/Latinx residents, 23% among White residents, 14% 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.

Contact Tracing Reminder

Public Health reminds anyone with a positive lab result that has not yet connected with a Public Health specialist, to call 1-833-540-0473 to connect with a Public Health specialist who can provide information about services and support. Residents who do not have COVID-19 should continue to call 211 for resources or more information.

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

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 October 11 to October 17, 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 91 percent received them within two days. The testing turnaround time dashboard (PDF) is updated weekly.

As of September 22, 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.

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 October 19, 115 cases of MIS-C have been reported statewide, four more than last 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, 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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