The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health on Wednesday confirmed 1,541 new cases of COVID-19 and 56 new deaths from the disease, with 467 cases identified to date in the Santa Clarita Valley.

This is the highest number of new cases reported in the county in a day in the pandemic so far.

Public Health has identified 22,485 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County, and a total of 1,056 deaths to date.

Forty-one people who died were over the age of 65 years old, nine people who died were between the ages of 41 to 65 years old, and two people who died were between the ages of 18 and 40 years old. Forty-two people had underlying health conditions including 34 people over the age of 65 years old, six people between the ages of 41 to 65 years old, and two people between the ages of 18 and 40 years old.

Two deaths were reported by the City of Long Beach and two deaths by the City of Pasadena.

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

Santa Clarita Valley Update
Of the 467 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 357

Val Verde: 35

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 22

Castaic: 20

Stevenson Ranch: 16

Acton: 8

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

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 2

Agua Dulce: 1

Elizabeth Lake 1

Henry Mayo Wednesday Update

Of the 735 persons tested at Henry Mayo to date, 139 tested positive, 606 were negative, 9 are pending and 15 patients are currently hospitalized in a dedicated unit receiving ICU-level care, hospital spokesman Patrick Moody said Wednesday.

Other discrepancies in the numbers are due to some patients being tested more than once, he said.

The number of discharged COVID-19 patients is now 47, Moody said. There have been four deaths at the hospital to date.

L.A. County Demographics

Of those who died, information about race and ethnicity is available for 977 people (99 percent of the cases); 38% of deaths occurred among Latinx residents, 28% among White residents, 18% among Asian residents, 14% 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, 32 cases reported earlier were not L.A. County residents.

As of Wednesday, 4,715 people who tested positive for COVID-19 (22% of positive cases) have been hospitalized at some point during their illness. Testing capacity continues to increase in L.A. County, with testing results available for over 139,000 individuals and 14% of people testing positive.

In response to a Board motion to address issues of inequities in COVID-19 outcomes, Public Health released a report about the racial/ethnic and socioeconomic characteristics of people who have been tested, hospitalized and died from COVID-19.

The rates of COVID-19 confirmed cases and deaths are extremely high among Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, and are also higher among African Americans and Latinos than among whites and Asians. American Indians and Alaskan Natives have lower rates of cases and deaths, however the numbers are small, and this may change significantly over time.

These trends are of great concern and suggest more affluent residents have better access to COVID-19 testing and treatment services, even as the rates of infection appear to be higher in lower-income communities. The findings also highlight the urgent need for more intensive efforts to expand culturally competent testing, treatment and prevention strategies in the African American, Latino and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander populations, as well as in low-income communities.

Public Health is working with community partners to implement strategies that both acknowledge root causes of longstanding inequities in the distribution of resources needed for health, and an immediate set of action steps to improve access to testing, treatment and services.

“To all of you who are facing a future without loved ones who have passed away from COVID-19, we are deeply sorry for your loss. You are in our thoughts and prayers every day,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “In Los Angeles County, we have many residents that are at very high risk for becoming infected with COVID-19 and becoming seriously ill from the virus, and this is reflected in our case numbers, the number of people who are hospitalized, and the number of people who have died from COVID-19. We continue to prioritize the need for more intensive efforts to expand testing, treatment, and prevention strategies for these residents.”

An interactive dashboard is available that provides an overview of 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, visit http://dashboard.publichealth.lacounty.gov/covid19_surveillance_dashboard/.

What to Do if You Are Ill

Public Health reminds everyone that if you are ill, even with mild symptoms, please self-isolate at home for 7 days and until you are fever and symptom-free for 72 hours.

If you have been in close contact with a person who has tested positive for COVID-19 or is presumed to be infected with COVID-19, you must quarantine for 14 days from your last contact with that individual.

Individuals who are elderly, have underlying health conditions or are pregnant may be at higher risk of serious illness and should contact their doctor as soon as they are sick.

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 out in the public procuring or providing essential services.

N95 and surgical masks should only be used by healthcare workers, first responders and essential workers providing care for people who are ill.

The current Health Officer Order extends the previous Health Officer Order through May 15 and requires essential businesses to provide a cloth face covering for all employees to wear while performing duties that involve contact with other employees and or the public and to post physical distancing plans.

The public is required to wear a face covering to enter essential businesses as well.

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