The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health on Friday confirmed 1,633 new cases of COVID-19 and 20 new deaths due to the virus countywide, with a total of 2,728 cases reported in the Santa Clarita Valley since the pandemic began, 75 more than reported Thursday.

In the SCV, 23 people have died of the virus to date — 18 resided in the city of Santa Clarita, 1 in Acton, 1 in Castaic, 1 in unincorporated Valencia, 1 in unincorporated Bouquet Canyon and 1 in a community not yet named in Public Health records.

Countywide, Public Health has reported 70,476 positive cases of COVID-19 and a total of 2,832 deaths to date. Ninety-three percent of people who died had underlying health conditions.

Statewide, the California Department of Public Health has reported a total of 141,983 confirmed cases and 4,943 deaths from COVID-19.

California’s positivity rate – a key indicator of community spread – remains stable in the 14-day average. Hospitalization rates remain stable over the long-term while showing a slight uptick in the 14-day average.

Santa Clarita Valley Friday Update

Of the 2,728 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 879

Castaic: 1,701 (includes Pitchess Detention Center and North County Correctional Facility*)

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 39

Stevenson Ranch: 38

Val Verde: 23

Acton: 16

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 11

Agua Dulce: 9

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 5

Elizabeth Lake: 4

Bouquet Canyon: 1

Lake Hughes: 1

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 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 12th COVID-related death on Tuesday (the day when the most recent numbers were released), according to hospital spokesman Patrick Moody.

As of Tuesday, of the 2,045 persons tested at Henry Mayo to date, 234 tested positive, 2,013 were negative, 60 were pending and 3 patients were hospitalized in a dedicated unit receiving ICU-level care. A total of 91 COVID-19 patients have been discharged so far.

Discrepancies in the testing numbers are due to some patients being tested more than once, he said.

The hospital is now releasing numbers on a weekly basis unless there is a drastic change in the number of cases or a death has been confirmed, Moody said.

L.A. County Demographics
Fourteen people who died were over the age of 65 years old and one person who died was between the ages of 41 and 65 years old. Fourteen people had underlying health conditions including 13 people over the age of 65 years old and one person between the ages of 41 and 65 years old. Five deaths were reported by the City of Long Beach.

Of those who died, information about race and ethnicity is available for 2,629 people (99 percent of the cases reported by Public Health) 41% of deaths occurred among Latino/Latinx residents, 29% among White residents, 17% among Asian residents, 11% among African American residents, 1% among Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander and residents identifying with other races. Upon further investigation, 32 cases and one death reported earlier were not L.A. County residents. As of today, 7,250 people who tested positive for COVID-19 (11% of positive cases) have been hospitalized at some point during their illness. There are 1,389 people who are currently hospitalized, 29% of these people are in the ICU and 20% are on ventilators. Testing capacity continues to increase in L.A. County, with testing results available for over 761,000 individuals and 8% of people testing positive.

Public Health continues to track disproportionality in health outcomes by race, ethnicity and income level data of people who have been tested, hospitalized and died from COVID-19. This data is analyzed as rates per 100,000 people to make comparisons with other groups across the County and to understand which groups are disproportionately affected. Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders have a death rate of 52 per 100,000, African Americans have a death of 33 per 100,000, Latinos/Latinxs have a death of 32 per 100,000, Asians have a death rate of 23 per 100,000, and Whites have a death rate of 17 per 100,000. People who live in areas with high rates of poverty have almost four times the rate of deaths for COVID-19 with 51 per 100,000 people, compared with communities with very low poverty levels who had a death rate of 15 per 100,000. Public Health and the Health Integration Alliance continues collaboration with community, healthcare, and philanthropic partners to increase access and use of COVID-19 testing, connection to care and services, awareness and support of contact tracing activities, and direct linkages to in-language, culturally responsive supportive resources, like food, housing, and other benefits to communities experiencing these inequitable outcomes.

“We are mourning with the many families who have lost loved ones to COVID-19. We are thinking of you and praying for you every day,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “We continue to watch the indicators on our recovery dashboard to understand how COVID-19 is affecting our communities and our capacity to treat people who may become seriously ill. Our day-to-day actions have a huge impact on our progress and our recovery journey, so please continue to practice physical distancing and wearing cloth face coverings when you are out and around others. As more businesses reopen, these continue to be the tools we have for slowing the spread of the virus and preventing serious illness and deaths.”

A modified Health Officer Order and directives for the reopening of additional businesses was issued yesterday with an effective date of Friday, June 12. The Health Officer Order allows for the following sectors to reopen once they implement the required protocols for infection control and distancing:

– Gyms and fitness facilities

– Pro-league arenas without live audiences

– Day camps

– Museums, galleries, zoos and aquariums

– Campgrounds, RV parks and outdoor recreation

– Music, film and television production

– Hotels for leisure travel

As with all businesses that are permitted to reopen, the Health Officer Order contains protocols for reopening to ensure it is done as safely as possible for employees, customers and residents. Employees and visitors to these businesses will need to wear a cloth face covering when around other people and practice physical distancing of at least 6 feet at all times. The directives are contained in sector-specific protocols that guide re-opening and are available online. It is important for everyone to follow the directives and to do their part every day to keep everyone as safe as possible.
If anyone has been in a crowded setting, where people are congregating who are not using face coverings or distancing, or if you had close contact (within 6 feet for greater than 15 minutes) with non-household members who were not wearing face coverings please consider the following:

– Remain in your residence, away from others, in quarantine for 14 days.

– If you live with persons who are elderly or have high risk conditions, you should also maintain a six-foot distance and wear a face covering when you are with them at home, avoid preparing food for others, sharing utensils, bedding and towels, and increase cleaning and disinfecting of common surfaces.

– Consider getting tested for COVID-19 if you have been exposed to someone that is positive or likely positive. Testing negative for COVID-19 right after being exposed does not mean you can’t become infected later during the incubation period.

– If anyone was possibly exposed to someone with COVID-19, and the test result is negative, they should remain at home for 14 days to prevent spreading illness to others.

For more information on how to get tested, visit: covid19.lacounty.gov/testing. The Health Officer Order, 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.

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. People who have underlying health conditions remain at much greater risk for serious illness from COVID-19, so it will continue to be very important for the County’s vulnerable residents to stay at home as much as possible, to have groceries and medicine delivered, and to call their providers immediately if they have even mild symptoms.

California
Statewide, 2,662,258 tests have been conducted in California. As testing capacity continues to increase across the state, an increase in the number of positive cases has been expected – increasing the importance of positivity rates to find signs of community spread.

“As California continues to release guidance to help Californians lower the risk of COVID-19 transmissions in a number of settings, it’s important to remember that guidance doesn’t mean ‘go.’ Once having met state health requirements, county public health officers will use county health data to decide when it’s appropriate to reopen sectors in each county,” said Dr. Sonia Angell, State Public Health Officer and Director of the California Department of Public Health. “COVID-19 remains a real threat to Californians. Protect yourself and those around you by keeping a physical distance of six feet, wearing a face covering, and washing hands frequently.”

Given the state’s vast geographic diversity, many counties have attested to epidemiological readiness and overall preparedness and are able to move at their own pace through the reopening process depending on local conditions. California provides guidance on how local jurisdictions should modify operations to reduce risk for infection should the local jurisdiction decide to reopen a specific sector. Local officials in counties with attestations determine when specific sectors of their economy that have state guidance posted will reopen. It is up to the local health officers to make decisions regarding reopening specific sectors based upon the epidemiology and readiness of the county.

Expanded Personal Care Services

The California Department of Public Health eleased guidance (PDF) Friday for expanded personal services for counties with attestations, which includes personal care that requires touching a client’s face, e.g. facials, electrolysis, and waxing. This guidance also applies to esthetician, skin care, and cosmetology services; electrology; nail salons; body art professionals, tattoo parlors, and piercing shops; and massage therapy (in non-healthcare settings). This guidance includes stringent protections intended to support a safe, clean environment for workers and customers. For example, workers and customers at nail salons, tattoo parlors and massage businesses must wear face coverings.

This guidance is instructive on how businesses should operate during the COVID-19 pandemic, to reduce the risk of transmission. Local health officials should decide when the sectors covered by the guidance can resume operations following their review of local epidemiological data including cases per 100,000 populations, rate of test positivity, and local preparedness to support a health care surge, vulnerable populations, contact tracing and testing.

Review of State Restrictions on Attendance Capacities for Constitutionally Protected Activities, Including Places of Worship

The California Department of Public Health released updated guidance (PDF) Friday for places of worship, providers of religious services and cultural ceremonies, and corresponding direction for other constitutionally protected activities, such as the right to protest. This guidance replaces guidance issued in May and does not obligate places of worship to resume in-person activity. It is strongly recommended that places of worship continue to facilitate remote services and other related activities for those who are vulnerable to COVID-19 including older adults and those with co-morbidities.

Under the updated guidance, capacity limitations for indoor services remain the same. Places of worship may continue to hold indoor religious services and funerals that limit attendance to 25% of the building’s capacity, or up to 100 attendees, whichever is lower.

Friday’s updated guidance lifts the state’s numerical cap for outdoor attendance at places of worship and other constitutionally protected First Amendment activities. Local health officials should consider limitations on outdoor attendance, factoring in their jurisdiction’s COVID-19 key health indicators. At a minimum, outdoor attendance should be limited naturally through the implementation of strict physical distancing measures of a minimum of six feet between attendees from different households.

The California Department of Public Health, in consultation with local health officials, will regularly review and assess the impact of these guidelines on public health and provide further direction as part of a phased-in restoration of in-person activities in places of worship.

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.

To view the Los Angeles County Incident Report for Friday, see below:

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