The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health on Friday confirmed 44 new deaths and 1,949 new cases of COVID-19, with 4,099 cases confirmed to date in the SCV, including 1,928 in the city of Santa Clarita.

The lower number of new countywide cases is, in part, due to lab results reporting delays in the state electronic lab system, Public Health officials reported. The number of cases is expected to increase in the coming days once the data becomes available.

Countywide, there are 1,928 cases currently hospitalized, and 29% of these people are confirmed cases in the ICU. There is a total of 2,470 confirmed and suspect cases now hospitalized and 16% of these people are on ventilators.

The hospitalization data is incomplete due to changes in reporting requirements from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This resulted in historical data from 11 non-reporting hospitals not being part of Friday’s update.

The state is working hard to remedy both these issues.

To date, Public Health has identified 168,757 positive cases of COVID-19 and a total of 4,300 deaths across all areas of L.A. County, including 42 in the Santa Clarita Valley. Countywide, 92% of people who died had underlying health conditions.

“We send our deepest sympathies to the many people across our county who have lost a loved one to COVID-19,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of L.A. County Public Health. “Our hearts also go out to the many people who are hospitalized or feeling unwell because of this virus. We are thinking of you.”

California Snapshot
Statewide, the California Department of Public Health on Friday confirmed a total of 435,334 COVID-19 cases, up 9,178, with 8,186 deaths — an increase of 159, another new record single-day high.

There are now 6,952 confirmed hospitalizations and 2,002 ICU hospitalizations in California.

Since July 23, hospitalization numbers reflect a change in reporting requirements that were implemented last week by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The change resulted in historical data from 39 non-reporting facilities statewide not being part of recent updates, resulting in lower numbers. This data will be added back in as soon as it is available.

As of July 23, local health departments have reported 20,849 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 115 deaths statewide.

California’s positivity rate – a key indicator of community spread – is trending upward in the 14-day average. It stands at 7.5% as of Thursday. Hospitalization rates are also trending upward in the 14-day average.

Numbers may not represent true day-over-day change as reporting of test results can be delayed, and the 7-day average more accurately describes trends in number of cases. The 7-day average number of new cases is now 9,809 per day. The 7-day average from the week prior was 8,838.

“A lot of numbers that tell us one thing: take this seriously,” California Governor Newsom tweeted Friday afternoon. “We can’t let up. It takes all of us — acting TOGETHER — to slow the spread. WEAR A MASK.”

Santa Clarita Valley Friday Update
As of 5:30 p.m. Friday, the L.A. County Public Health dashboard reported 42 SCV residents have died of COVID-19 to date — 33 resided in the city of Santa Clarita, 2 in Acton, 2 in Castaic, 2 in Stevenson Ranch, 1 in Val Verde, 1 in unincorporated Valencia, and 1 in unincorporated Bouquet Canyon.

Of the 4,099 COVID-19 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 1,928

Castaic: 1,846 (includes Pitchess Detention Center and North County Correctional Facility*)

Stevenson Ranch: 100

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 71

Acton: 40

Val Verde: 39

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 31

Agua Dulce: 17

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 12

Elizabeth Lake: 5

Newhall (unincorporated portion): 4

Sand Canyon: 3

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 16th COVID-related death on Monday, July 20, according to Patrick Moody, hospital spokesman.

The hospital released its latest COVID-19 numbers Wednesday night, July 22.

As of Wednesday, of the 4,931 people tested at Henry Mayo to date, 574 tested positive, 5,224 were negative, 302 were pending, 25 patients were hospitalized in a dedicated unit receiving ICU-level care (up 3 from a week ago), a total of 159 COVID-19 patients have been discharged so far, and the number of deceased at the hospital remains 16, 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 statistics on a weekly basis (Wednesdays) unless there is a drastic change in the number of cases or a death has been confirmed.

L.A. County Demographics
Of the 44 new deaths, 19 people that passed away (excluding Long Beach and Pasadena) were over the age of 80, eight people who died were between 65 and 79 years old, eight people who died were between 50 and 64 years old, and eight people who died were between 30 and 49 years old.

Thirty-six people had underlying health conditions including 17 people over 80 years old, seven people between 65 and 79 years old, seven people between50 and 64 years old, and five people between 30 and 49 years old.

One death was reported by the city of Pasadena.

Upon further investigation, 40 cases and six deaths reported earlier were not L.A. County residents.

Of those who died, information about race and ethnicity is available for 4,014 people (99 percent of the cases reported by Public Health); 47% of deaths occurred among Latino/Latinx residents, 25% among White residents, 15% 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.

Data continues to expose disproportionality in health outcomes by race, ethnicity and income level data. African American/Black and Latino/Latinx residents are still twice as likely to die from COVID-19 when compared to White residents. Communities with high levels of poverty are still four times as likely to die of COVID-19 compared to residents with the highest income.

‘Too Much Community Spread’
“Even with incomplete case and hospitalization data, we are seeing too much community spread of this virus, which means many of our friends, family and neighbors are sick and suffering,” Ferrer said.

“As we head into the weekend, I hope we each understand that continuing our recovery journey, including re-opening schools and businesses, is only possible if we get back to slowing the spread,” she said. “Wear a face covering, don’t gather with people you don’t live with and stay home as much as possible. The health of our community truly is a collective effort.”

Great Plates Delivered Program Extended
Great Plates Delivered has been extended until August 9th. Through LA County’s Great Plates Delivered Program, you can help a local senior or business in your community.

Great Plates Delivered offers eligible seniors with three (3) home-delivered meals a day. Seniors over 65, seniors 60-64 years of age who have been diagnosed or exposed to COVID-19 or those at high-risk for COVID-19 may qualify. When you help a senior connect to Great Plates Delivered you’re also helping your local restaurant, hospitality and transportation community get back to work.

To learn more or apply for meal assistance, click here.

Best Protections — Avoid the Three C’s
Business owners and residents must do their part to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Public Health urges everyone to avoid the Three C’s: Crowded places, Confined spaces and Close contact with others not in your household.

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.

Public Health reminds everyone that you remain safer at home.

Tiered Compliance Plan
On Thursday, Public Health unveiled a tiered compliance plan that will include citations and fines for businesses that continue to violate Health Officer Orders.

Beginning at the end of August, fines will be issued to non-compliant businesses that can range from $100 for the first offense to $500 and a 30-day permit suspension for multiple offenses. This includes businesses licensed and permitted by the department and those that are not.

Current Orders require business owners to close indoor operations at many businesses and take immediate action to implement strategies that protect workers and customers and their families.

L.A. County Testing, Contact Tracing
Testing results are available for nearly 1,605,000 individuals with 10% of all people testing positive.

It is 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 24 hours after symptoms and fever subside. If a person has a positive lab result for COVID-19, expect a public health specialist from L.A. County Public Health to contact them by phone to interview about possible exposures and to identify others who may have also been exposed to the infection.

The information is protected and cannot be shared with others except in emergency situations. A public health specialist will never ask for a Social Security number, payment or documented status.

Public Health has a dedicated call line for confirmed cases of COVID-19. If you have not yet connected with a public health specialist or need more information on services, call toll-free at 1-833-540-0473. 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 In-Depth
A total of 34 California counties accounting for more than 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 Testing
There have been 6,915,876 tests conducted in California. This represents an increase of 137,572 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 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 July 21, 23 cases of MIS-C have been reported from seven counties. Los Angeles County has reported the majority of cases (15).

Additional cases have been reported from San Diego, Imperial, Kings, Monterey, Orange, and Sacramento counties. 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 are critical to preventing long-term complications.

Semi trucks drive by a freeway sign along Interstate 5 that urges people to stay at home due to the COVID-19 outbreak on their way toward Los Angles, Tuesday, March 24, 2020, in Gorman, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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.