Map shows COVID-19 test orders placed through UCLA Health only.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed seven new deaths and 342 new cases of 2019 novel coronavirus on Monday for a total of 2,474 cases and 44 deaths.

There were 44 active cases in the Santa Clarita Valley, three of them in Castaic, the only local community reported separately by the county. That’s an increase of three in Santa Clarita and a decrease of one in Castaic.

Upon further investigation, four cases reported earlier were not L.A. County residents.

As of Monday, 492 people who tested positive for COVID-19 (20% of positive cases) have been hospitalized at some point during their illness.

Six of the seven deaths reported Monday occurred in people over the age of 65; five of those had underlying health conditions. One death was reported in an individual between 41–65 years old who also had underlying health conditions.

Additional information regarding some of the new cases is pending further investigation.

Over the last 48 hours, there have been 675 new cases.

Current Health Officer Orders prohibit any public or private gatherings or events, and temporarily close all beaches and hiking trails throughout the entire county. Only essential businesses may remain open, and individuals are asked to stay home except to obtain essential goods or services. Health Officer Orders will continue through April 19.

“I want to thank everyone who is doing their part to slow the spread of COVID-19, both businesses and residents across the county who have met this moment with innovation and charity,” said Barbara Ferrer, Ph.D., MPH, MEd, Los Angeles County Public Health Director.

“This situation is serious, and I applaud the essential employees who meet the daily challenge of keeping the public healthy and our community functioning, from public safety and healthcare workers, to grocery store clerks and food deliverers,” Ferrer said. “The greatest service the general public can provide is to stay home, to self-isolate when sick and to self-quarantine if exposed. These measures will make the biggest impact in our efforts to mitigate the infection rate in the county.”

Public Health has issued the following guidance for people with mild illness during this time of increased spread:

– If you are mildly sick, stay home for at least seven days and until 72 hours after being fever and symptom-free. Call your doctor if you are concerned and/or your symptoms worsen. Individuals who are elderly, have underlying health conditions or pregnant should consider contacting their providers earlier when they are sick.

Additional things you can do to protect yourself, your family and your community are on the Public Health website, www.publichealth.lacounty.gov.

Here’s the incident report for March 30.