The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health on Friday confirmed 962 new cases of COVID-19 and 47 new deaths, with a total of 921 cases reported and 17 deaths to date in the Santa Clarita Valley.

Public Health reported the 17 deaths Friday in a detailed breakdown by geographic location, which the department had not done previously.

Of the 17 people who died in the SCV, 15 were residents of the city of Santa Clarita, one of Acton, and one of Castaic.

To date, Public Health has identified 36,259 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County, and a total of 1,755 deaths — 892 in institutional settings, representing 51% of all deaths in the county. The vast majority were in nursing homes.

Ninety-two percent of people who died had underlying health conditions.

Upon further investigation, 32 cases and one death reported earlier were not L.A. County residents.

There are 1,733 people who are currently hospitalized, 25% of these people are in the ICU and 18% are on ventilators. Testing capacity continues to increase in L.A. County, with testing results available for over 282,000 individuals and 11% of people testing positive.

As of Friday, 5,727 people who tested positive for COVID-19 (16% of positive cases) have been hospitalized at some point during their illness. There are 1,733 people who are currently hospitalized, 25% of these people are in the ICU and 18% are on ventilators. Testing capacity continues to increase in L.A. County, with testing results available for over 282,000 individuals and 11% of people testing positive.

Santa Clarita Valley Friday Update
Of the 921 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 561

Castaic: 263 (includes Pitchess Detention Center and North County Correctional Facility)

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 31

Stevenson Ranch: 27

Val Verde: 13

Acton: 9

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 6

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 4

Agua Dulce: 4

Elizabeth Lake 3

Henry Mayo Friday Update
Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital switched reporting COVID-19 cases once a week, on Wednesdays, spokesman Patrick Moody said.

As of Wednesday, May 13, of the 1,106 persons tested at Henry Mayo to date, 182 tested positive, 1,007 were negative, 28 were pending and 12 patients were hospitalized in a dedicated unit receiving ICU-level care. Sixty-two COVID-19 patients have been discharged.

On Wednesday, Moody confirmed the seventh death at the hospital from COVID-19.

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

L.A. County Demographics
Of those who died, information about race and ethnicity is available for 1,615 people (99 percent of the cases); 38% of deaths occurred among Latinx residents, 29% among White residents, 18% among Asian residents, 12% among African American residents, 1% among Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander residents and 1% among residents identifying with other races.

Public Health continues to track health outcomes by race, ethnicity and income level data of people who have been tested, hospitalized and died from COVID-19. African Americans, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders, and people living in communities with high levels of poverty continue to have the highest rate of death per 100,000 people for COVID-19 when compared to other groups.

Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders have a death rate of 89, African Americans have a death of 18, and people living in communities with high levels of poverty have a death rate of 29. These rates are significantly higher than the death rate of other races and ethnicities. The death rate for people who identify as Latinx is 16, for Asian is 12, and for White is 9. Public Health continues collaboration with community partners to improve testing, connection to care and communications to the communities experiencing these inequitable outcomes.

“For all of you across our community who are mourning someone you love who has passed away from COVID-19, our hearts ache for you. You are in our thoughts and prayers every day,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health.

“Today we will begin posting our Recovery Dashboard on our website,” she said. “This Dashboard presents important data indicators we are tracking to assess our ability to continue slowing the spread of COVID-19 in L.A. County. We will use this information to guide decisions on how to move forward on our recovery journey.”

Health Officer Order
The Health Officer Order issued earlier this week replaced the previous Health Officer Order and allows for retailers and manufacturers, select recreational facilities and beaches to reopen.

All retailers can reopen for curbside, door-side, outside pickup, or delivery only and manufacturing and logistic businesses that supply retail businesses can also reopen.

Before retail businesses, manufacturing and logistic businesses reopen, they are required to prepare, implement and post their plan for adhering to directives including distancing and infection control practices that protect both employees and customers.

Select recreational facilities, community gardens, and beaches for active recreation only are now open.

Everyone must continue to practice physical distancing of at least six feet apart and wear a clean cloth face covering that securely covers both your nose and mouth when you are in contact with other people not in your household.

This Order continues to require that specific higher-risk businesses remain closed and prohibits public and private gatherings of any number of people occurring outside a single household unit.

Public Health will assess the activities allowed by the Order on an ongoing basis and modify the Order as appropriate. Residents will also be able to track progress on the Recovery Dashboard. Currently, L.A. County is in stage two of the five-stage Roadmap to Recovery and until the final stage five is reached, Health Officer Orders and directives will continue to ensure that we slow spread of COVID-19 to prevent an overwhelming surge of COVID-19 cases at healthcare facilities.

Interactive Dashboard
An interactive dashboard is available that provides an overview on COVID-19 testing, cases and deaths along with maps and graphs showing testing, cases and death data by community poverty level, age, sex and race/ethnicity. Visit Public Health’s COVID-19 Surveillance Dashboard here.

To view Public Health’s COVID-19 Surveillance Dashboard, click here.

The Health Officer Order, 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.

Best Protections
The best protection against COVID-19 is to wash your hands frequently, avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands, self-isolate if you are sick, practice physical distancing (especially by staying at home) 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.

For additional things you can do to protect yourself, your family and your community, visit the Public Health website at www.publichealth.lacounty.gov.

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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.