The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health on Friday confirmed 27 new deaths and 1,072 new positive cases of COVID-19, including 41 new cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.

That brings the SCV’s totals to 6,734 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 70 deaths from the virus since the World Health Organization declared the pandemic on March 11.

To date, the department has identified 287,222 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County, and a total of 6,855 deaths.

Upon further investigation, 33 cases and six deaths reported earlier were not county residents.

There are 735 people currently hospitalized with COVID-19 countywide, and 26% of them are in the ICU.

Test results are available for more than 2,850,000 county residents, with 9% of all people testing positive.

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

California Friday Snapshot

Statewide, as of Thursday, October 15, the California Department of Public Health confirmed a total of 861,476 COVID-19 cases (up 3,075), with 16,830 deaths from the disease (up 73).

There are 2,245 confirmed hospitalizations and 615 ICU hospitalizations in the state, holding steady.

California’s 7-day positivity rate is 2.6% and the 14-day positivity rate is 2.5%, a slight downward trend.

As of October 15, local health departments have reported 41,984 confirmed positive cases in healthcare workers and 194 deaths statewide.

There have been 16,621,956 COVID-19 tests conducted in California, an increase of 104,144 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 Around the World: U.S. Still Leader in Cases, Deaths

Friday, October 16, 2020 graph of worldwide cases from the COVID-19 Dashboard by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University (JHU).

Worldwide, 39,131,360 people have been infected by COVID-19 while 1,101,083 people have died as of 1:24 Friday afternoon Pacific Time, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

Since the pandemic began, more than 8,030,623 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 218,330.

With parts of Europe and now reporting COVID increases, 37 of the United States are also reporting surges. The U.S. also has the world’s highest numbers of cases and deaths. By comparison, No. 2 Brazil’s death toll is 152,460. India, at No. 2 in cases, had confirmed 7,370,468 cases and 112,161 deaths as of Friday afternoon.

Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital Friday Update
Late Wednesday, October 14, Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital in Valencia reported three additional COVID-19 deaths at the hospital, bringing Henry Mayo’s total to 29 fatalities since the pandemic began, according to spokesman Patrick Moody.

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, Moody said.

As of late Wednesday night, of the 9,238 people tested at Henry Mayo to date, 964 tested positive, 10,911 were negative, 30 were pending, 11 patients were hospitalized in a dedicated unit receiving ICU-level care (up 6 from last week), and a total of 280 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 14, the latest update to its COVID-19 data dashboard, L.A. County Public Health reported 68 deaths in the Santa Clarita Valley since the pandemic began, but had not yet logged the name of the community of residence for two of the three fatalities Henry Mayo reported Thursday.

Of the 70 SCV residents who have died since the pandemic began, 55 lived in the city of Santa Clarita, 5 in Castaic, 2 in Acton, 3 in Stevenson Ranch (up from 2), 1 in unincorporated Bouquet Canyon, 1 in Val Verde, 1 in unincorporated Valencia and 2 in communities not yet identified.

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

Of the 6,734 confirmed COVID-19 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 3,914

Castaic: 2,141 (includes Pitchess Detention Center and North County Correctional Facility*)

Stevenson Ranch: 187

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 161

Val Verde: 91

Acton: 78

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 51

Agua Dulce: 30

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 28

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 14

Bouquet Canyon: 10

Saugus/Canyon Country: 11

Elizabeth Lake: 7

Sand Canyon: 7

Lake Hughes: 4

*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.

Limited Household Gatherings OK

“As we enter the weekend, we remind residents that, if they are planning a private gathering, limit it to just your household and two others, and, in the foreseeable future, create a stable group with these households,” said L.A. County Public Health’s Barbara Ferrer.

“All private gatherings must be outdoors,” she said. “Wear a cloth face covering and practice physical distancing of at least 6 feet at all times, and do not share food with other households. Limit your visit to no more than 2 hours and do not attend a private gathering if you are not feeling well. We all can take these steps to enjoy friends and family as safely as possible.”

The best way to prevent getting and spreading COVID-19 is to put six feet of distance between yourself and people who don’t live in your household, and wear a face covering in public settings and when around people who don’t live in your household.

Face coverings protect other people in case you are infected and do not know it, as COVID-19 can spread to others even if someone does not feel sick.

Please remember to also wash or sanitize your hands frequently. Isolating when you are positive for COVID-19 and quarantining if you have been exposed to someone who is positive are also important tools in preventing transmission of the virus.

More L.A. County Demographics: Age

Of the 27 new deaths reported Friday, 15 people who died were over 80 years old, six people were between 65 and 79 years old, four people were between 50 and 64 years old, and two people were between 30 and 49 years old.

Twenty-four people who died had underlying health conditions including 14 people over 80 years old, six people between 65 and 79 years old and four people between 50 and 64 years old.

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 6,451 people (99 percent of the cases reported by Public Health); 51% 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.

Upon further investigation, 33 cases and 6 deaths reported earlier were not L.A. County residents.

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

* 0 to 4 4643

* 5 to 11 10044

* 12 to 17 12425

* 18 to 29 67591

* 30 to 49 93030

* 50 to 64 52369

* 65 to 79 20743

* over 80 9517

* Under Investigation 1649

More L.A. County Demographics: Race/Ethnicity

Of those who died, information about race and ethnicity is available for 6,378 people (99 percent of the cases reported by Public Health); 51% 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 4 to October 10, the average time patients waited for test results was 1.2 days. During this same time period, 68 percent of patients received test results in 1 day and 93 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 13, 111 cases of MIS-C have been reported statewide, 7 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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