The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health on Friday confirmed 20 new deaths and 1,296 new positive cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, with 39 new cases reported in the Santa Clarita Valley.

The SCV has now tallied 7,306 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 74 deaths from the virus since March 11, when the World Health Organization declared the pandemic.

L.A. County has counted 7,056 confirmed COVID-19 deaths and 306,327 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of the county to date. Upon further investigation, 39 cases and 14 deaths reported earlier were not county residents.

“We send our deepest sympathies to everyone who has lost a loved one to COVID-19,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of L.A. County Public Health.

There are 743 people currently hospitalized with COVID-19 countywide, and 30% of them are in the ICU.

Test results are available for more than 3,101,000 county residents, with 9% of all people testing positive.

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

California Friday Snapshot

Statewide, as of Thursday, October 29, the California Department of Public Health confirmed a total of 916,018 COVID-19 cases (up 4,014), with 17,571 deaths from the disease (up 30).

There are 2,430 confirmed hospitalizations and 666 ICU hospitalizations in the state, a slight upward trend.

California’s 7-day positivity rate is 3.1% and the 14-day positivity rate is 3.0%, holding steady.

As of October 29, local health departments have reported 44,296 confirmed positive cases in healthcare workers and 206 deaths statewide.

There have been 18,223,596 COVID-19 tests conducted in California, an increase of 96,547 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: Europe Reels from New Wave; U.S. Tops World Cases with 9 Million

Worldwide, 45,466,721 people have been infected by COVID-19 while 1,186,913 people have died as of 4:24 Friday afternoon Pacific Time, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

The U.S. reported more than 88,500 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, a record daily high since the beginning of the pandemic.

More than 9,034,295 Americans have been diagnosed with COVID-19 since the pandemic began, while the number of people in the U.S. who have died due to the virus has surpassed 229,544.

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.

The U.S. reported more than 88,500 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, a record daily high since the beginning of the pandemic.

By comparison, No. 2 Brazil’s death toll is 158,969 and slowing. India, at No. 2 in cases, had confirmed 8,088,851 cases and 121,090 deaths as of Friday afternoon.

As the Johns Hopkins University graphic below indicates, Canada, the USA’s northern neighbor, has confirmed far fewer cases and deaths — 234,937 cases and 10,163 deaths — since the pandemic began. Canada closed its border in mid-March, and the closure has been extended at least through November 21.

Screencap from the Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering COVID-19 dashboard, showing COVID cases in Canada, Europe and the United States on Friday, October 30, 2020.

Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital Friday Update
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, spokesman Patrick Moody said.

As of Wednesday, October 28, of the 10,109 people tested at Henry Mayo to date, 1,027 tested positive, 12,066 were negative, 14 were pending, 15 patients were hospitalized in a dedicated unit receiving ICU-level care (up three from the previous Wednesday), and a total of 299 COVID-19 patients have been treated and discharged so far.

The number of people who have died of COVID-19 at Mayo Mayo stood at 30, Moody said. Privacy laws prohibit the hospital from releasing the community of residence for patients who die; that info is reported by L.A. County Public Health.

Discrepancies in the testing numbers at the hospital are due to some patients being tested multiple times. “Often a single patient is tested more than once,” he said.

Santa Clarita Valley Friday Update

As of 8 p.m. Wednesday, October 28, the latest update to its COVID-19 data dashboard, L.A. County Public Health reported 74 deaths in the Santa Clarita Valley since the pandemic began.

Of the 74 SCV residents who have died to date, 61 lived in the city of Santa Clarita (adjusted from 60 previously reported), 4 in Castaic (adjusted from 5 previously reported), 2 in Acton, 3 in Stevenson Ranch, 1 in unincorporated Bouquet Canyon, 1 in Val Verde, and 1 in unincorporated Valencia.

Of the 7,306 confirmed COVID-19 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 4,360

Castaic: 2,189 (includes Pitchess Detention Center and North County Correctional Facility*)

Stevenson Ranch: 200

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 174

Val Verde: 103

Acton: 85

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

Agua Dulce: 37

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 38

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 26

Saugus/Canyon Country: 11

Bouquet Canyon: 10

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.

Safe Halloween Celebrations

L.A. County Public Health asks everyone to celebrate Halloween and Dia de los Muertos this weekend as carefully and as safely as possible as COVID-19 continues to spread in the county.

Public Health does not recommend trick-or-treating and trunk or treating this year, as participating in these activities increases the risk of exposure to the virus through communal food handling, crowding and mixing with non-household individuals.

Safer options include participating in a virtual party, attending a drive-in event, driving around your neighborhood to see decorated houses, holding a scavenger hunt for treats at home, or attending a special Halloween drive-in movie.

Carnivals, parties, festivals, live entertainment, and haunted house attractions are not safe this Halloween and are not permitted under the Health Officer Order.

or more info on celebrating Halloween and Dia de los Muertos safely, visit, www.publichealth.lacounty.gov.

“As we head into the holiday weekend, please remember there is simply too much COVID-19 going around for us to let our guard down,” Public Health’s Barbara Ferrer said.

“The fewer people you and your household have in-person contact with, the lower your risk of getting and spreading COVID-19,” she said. “For the county to continue on our recovery journey, many more of us need to get back to doing what we know works – and we need to stop engaging in activities that makes it easy for transmission of the virus.”

Activities that lead to virus transmission include gathering inside and being in crowds where people aren’t wearing face coverings and/or distancing.

Skilled Nursing Facilities Update

Public Health continues to survey skilled nursing facilities in the County for compliance with mandated COVID-19 testing and reporting of COVID-19 cases and outbreaks.

All 340 skilled nursing facilities in the County conduct weekly testing of residents and staff. For the week of October 17, more than 45,000 COVID-19 tests were completed among staff and residents. 174 people tested positive for COVID-19; there were 79 new cases among residents and 95 new cases among staff.

Of the 340 facilities, 232 facilities reported no positive cases. All skilled nursing facilities reported having adequate staffing and 97% percent reported having adequate PPE.

More L.A. County Demographics: Age

Of the 26 new deaths reported today, seven people that passed away were over the age of 80 years old, five people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, nine people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64 years old, and five people who died were between the ages of 30 and 49 years old.

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

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

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

* 0 to 4 5084

* 5 to 11 10968

* 12 to 17 13520

* 18 to 29 71896

* 30 to 49 99255

* 50 to 64 55828

* 65 to 79 22050

* over 80 9874

* Under Investigation 1803

More L.A. County Demographics: Race/Ethnicity

Of those who died, information about race and ethnicity is available for 6,649 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.

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 23, 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 26, 119 cases of MIS-C have been reported statewide, four more than 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, 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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