The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health on Tuesday confirmed 961 new cases of COVID-19 and 45 new deaths, with 795 cases reported to date in the Santa Clarita Valley.

Countywide, 35 people who died were over the age of 65 years old and nine people who died were between the ages of 41 to 65 years old. Forty-one people had underlying health conditions including 32 people over the age of 65 years old and nine people between the ages of 41 to 65 years old. One death was reported by the City of Long Beach.

To date, Public Health has identified 33,180 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County, and a total of 1,613 deaths. Ninety-two percent of people who died had underlying health conditions. Of those who died, information about race and ethnicity is available for 1,490 people (99 percent of the cases); 38% of deaths occurred among Latinx residents, 29% among White residents, 18% among Asian residents, 13% among African American residents, 1% among Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander residents and 1% among residents identifying with other races. African Americans, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, 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. Upon further investigation, 39 cases and one death reported earlier were not L.A. County residents. As of Tuesday, 5,508 people who tested positive for COVID-19 (17% of positive cases) have been hospitalized at some point during their illness. There are 1,731 people who are currently hospitalized, 26% 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 nearly 253,000 individuals and 11% of people testing positive.

“Each day, we know there are people across our community who are experiencing the sorrow of losing a loved one to COVID-19. We are so sorry for your loss, and we wish you peace and healing,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “Later this week, we will be issuing a new Health Officer Order that continues to lay out directives that need to be followed as we continue on our recovery journey. Our journey will be slow and we will be looking closely at key indicators to make sure we are continuing to slow the spread of COVID-19. Thank you so much for working together and doing your part. Your actions have been working and saving lives.”

Santa Clarita Valley Tuesday Update
Of the 795 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 507

Castaic: 209

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 28

Stevenson Ranch: 24

Acton: 8

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

Val Verde: 5

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 4

Agua Dulce: 3

Elizabeth Lake 1

Henry Mayo Tuesday Update
Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital did not release new numbers Tuesday because it has switched to a weekly reporting of COVID-19 cases, spokesman Patrick Moody said.

As of Wednesday, May 6, the last time numbers were released, of the 897 persons tested at Henry Mayo to date, 165 tested positive, 819 were negative, 30 were pending and 17 patients were hospitalized in a dedicated unit receiving ICU-level care. Fifty-five COVID-19 patients have been discharged.

The hospital has confirmed 6 deaths from COVID-19 to date.

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

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. When you are out and around people, continue to practice physical distancing of at least 6 feet apart and wear a clean cloth face covering that securely covers both your nose and mouth. COVID-19 has not changed. 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 know to call their providers immediately if they have even mild symptoms.

Currently, L.A. County is in stage two of the five-stage roadmap to recovery which allows florists and some retailers to offer curbside pickup only, car dealership showrooms to reopen with appropriate physical distancing and infection control measures, and trails and golf courses to open with pro shops remaining closed to public entry. As a reminder, retail establishments are closed to all public entry and must ensure compliance with all protocols before reopening. Additional restrictions may be lifted later this week to allow for reopening additional retailers for curbside pickup, select manufacturers, and additional recreational facilities. Until the final stage five is reached, Health Officer Orders and directives will continue to ensure the slow of spread of COVID-19 to prevent an overwhelming surge of COVID-19 cases at healthcare facilities.

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

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

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.