Los Angeles County reaches a somber milestone as deaths from COVID-19 surpass 5,000, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed Tuesday.

To date, Public Health has identified 211,808 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County, including 4,809 in the Santa Clarita Valley, and a total of 5,057 deaths countywide.

Public Health confirmed Tuesday 63 new deaths and 1,440 new cases of COVID-19. The number of new cases reported is missing lab reports from one of the larger labs which is contributing to the lower number of new cases.

Tuesday’s numbers do not include backlog numbers. The State indicated that a backlog of lab reports for L.A County from the State electronic laboratory system (ELR) should be reconciled this week. Data sources that track other key indicators, including hospitalizations and deaths, are not affected by this reporting issue.

There are 1,524 confirmed cases currently hospitalized and 32% of these people are confirmed cases in the ICU. Daily hospitalizations were over 2,000 patients a month ago.

California Tuesday Snapshot
Statewide, the California Department of Public Health on Tuesday confirmed a total of 574,411, with 10,468 deaths from the disease. There are 5,549 confirmed hospitalizations and 1,725 ICU hospitalizations in California.

*Note: Tuesday’s case counts include backlogged data – and are not an accurate representation of cases reported in the prior 24 hours.

Numbers may not represent true day-over-day change as reporting of test results can be delayed. There have been 9,186,279 tests conducted in California. This represents an increase of 187,926 over the prior 24-hour reporting period.

As case numbers continue to rise in California, the total number of individuals who will have serious outcomes will also increase.

A total of 38 counties are required to close indoor operations for certain sectors based on the July 13 order to slow community transmission.

Health Care Worker Infection Rates
As of August 10, local health departments have reported 26,676 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 137 deaths statewide.

Santa Clarita Valley Tuesday Update
As of 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, the L.A. County Public Health COVID-19 data dashboard remains unchanged with 51 SCV residents who have died of the virus since the pandemic began. Of the dead, 40 lived in the city of Santa Clarita, 4 in Castaic, 2 in Acton, 2 in Stevenson Ranch, 1 in unincorporated Bouquet Canyon, 1 in Val Verde, and 1 in unincorporated Valencia.

Of the 4,809 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 2,503

Castaic: 1,870 (includes Pitchess Detention Center and North County Correctional Facility*)

Stevenson Ranch: 131

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 97

Acton: 54

Val Verde: 50

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 38

Agua Dulce: 21

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 21

Elizabeth Lake: 6

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 6

Sand Canyon: 5

Bouquet Canyon: 4

Lake Hughes: 2

Saugus/Canyon Country: 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 Tuesday Update
Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital reported its 21st COVID-related deaths on Friday, Aug. 7, according to hospital spokesman Patrick Moody. Due to privacy constraints, the hospital does not disclose patients’ cities of residence.

The hospital is now releasing statistics on a weekly basis unless there is a drastic change in the number of cases or a COVID-related death has been confirmed.

As of Friday, the last day when the most recent numbers were released, of the 5,697 people tested at Henry Mayo to date, 700 tested positive, 6,356 were negative, 106 were pending, 9 patients were hospitalized in a dedicated unit receiving ICU-level care (down 4 from August 1), and a total of 206 COVID-19 patients have been discharged so far, as fatalities at the hospital now number 21, Moody confirmed.

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

L.A. County
Of the 63 new deaths, 31 people that passed away (excluding Long Beach and Pasadena) were over the age of 80 years old, 16 people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, 13 people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64 years old, and one person who died was between the ages of 18 and 29 years old. Fifty-five people had underlying health conditions including 27 people over the age of 80 years old, 15 people between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, 12 people between the ages of 50 and 64 years old, and one person between the ages of 18 and 29 years old. Two deaths were reported by the city of Long Beach

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 4,746 people (99 percent of the cases reported by Public Health); 49% of deaths occurred among Latino/Latinx residents, 24% among White residents, 15% 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, 56 cases and two deaths reported earlier were not L.A. County residents.

Testing results are available for more than 1,965,000 individuals with 10% of all people testing positive.

“L.A. County has hit a tragic milestone today — more than 5,000 of our friends, family, neighbors and co-workers have died because of COVID-19. This is heartbreaking and reminds us of the human toll of this pandemic. Our hearts go out to the many families that have lost a love one to this pandemic,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “One of the deaths we are reporting today is of a young adult under the age of 29. This is a reminder that the risk for all of us is real and that no matter how young you are, this virus can be deadly. We must continue to adopt practices that slow the spread of this virus; this allows us to prevent these untimely deaths. Please practice physical distancing, wear a face covering, wash your hands and avoid gathering with people you don’t live with.”

Face coverings combined with other preventive measures, such as frequent hand-washing and physical distancing, slow the spread of the COVID-19. COVID-19 mainly spreads from person to person through respiratory droplets. When face coverings are worn snugly over the mouth and nose, it keeps respiratory droplets from reaching someone else. These droplets are produced when people cough, sneeze, sing, raises their voice, or even talk. The droplets can land in the eyes, mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs. Please note, masks with exhalation valves or vents should not be worn since the vent permits respiratory droplets to be exhaled. Face coverings should not be worn by children under the age of 2 or anyone who has trouble breathing, is unconscious, incapacitated, or otherwise unable to remove the mask without assistance.

The State ELR problems have resulted in under counting, affecting the number of COVID-19 cases reported each day and our contact tracing efforts. Given the ELR delays, the department urges any person with a positive lab result to call 1-833-540-0473 to connect with a public health specialist who can provide information about services and support. Residents who do not have COVID-19 should continue to call 211 for resources or more information.

The 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 Tuesday
In the past few days, working in partnership with the California Department of Technology (CDT), the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) cleared the data backlog reported last week and has continued processing new case records. Since Friday, we have processed the roughly 300,000 backlogged CalREDIE records, including both negative and positive test results.

The issue with the state’s electronic laboratory reporting system that generated the backlog has been addressed and CDPH continues to closely monitor the performance of the system.

CDPH, along with the local public health departments, is processing the backlogged records and attributing cases to the correct reporting dates. As a result, the case counts reported today, and in the next few days, will include cases that would have been reported in earlier day and weeks – and are not an accurate representation of cases reported in the prior 24 hours.

California 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.

Popular links include:

– 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)

County Monitoring Data
California is using data and science to respond to COVID-19. Data by county gives Californians insight into how their county is doing and provides an early indication of developing areas of concern. Counties on the County Monitoring List for three or more consecutive days must close indoor operations for additional activities. Currently, a total of 38 counties are required to close indoor operations.

For more information, County Data Monitoring page.

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 July 20, 23 cases of MIS-C have been reported from seven counties. Los Angeles County has reported the majority of cases (15). Additional cases have been reported from San Diego, Imperial, Kings, Monterey, Orange, and Sacramento counties. To protect patient confidentiality in counties with fewer than 11 cases, we are 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 is critical to preventing long-term complications.

Racial Demographics – A More Complete Picture
The California Department of Public Health is committed to health equity and collecting more detailed racial and ethnic data that will provide additional understanding for determining future action. Health outcomes are affected by forces including structural racism, poverty and the disproportionate prevalence of underlying conditions such as asthma and heart disease among Latinos and African American Californians. Only by looking at the full picture can we understand how to ensure the best outcomes for all Californians.

The differences in health outcomes related to COVID-19 are most stark in COVID-19 deaths. We have nearly complete data on race and ethnicity for COVID-19 deaths, and we are seeing the following trends. 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 about double their population representation across all adult age categories. For Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, overall numbers are low, but about three-fold difference 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.

New Data Portal
The state has launched a new, user-friendly data portal at COVID-19 Statewide Update that tracks COVID-19 cases statewide and by county, gender, age and ethnicity. The portal also outlines statewide hospitalizations and testing efforts. The data presented on the portal will be updated daily and will include additional information as it is available.

Your Actions Save Lives
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 such 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.

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.