The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health on Monday confirmed 27 new deaths and 8,086 new cases countywide as Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital reported three additional deaths and Public Health officials urged full compliance with safety measures to slow the surge.

The SCV has now tallied 10,951 confirmed COVID-19 cases among residents — including 596 new cases reported just since Friday — and 84 deaths since the pandemic began, according to Public Health data. That does not include the three new deaths reported Monday by Henry Mayo.

Countywide, of the 2,988 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized, 24% of them are in the ICU.

To date, Public Health has counted 7,936 confirmed COVID-19 deaths and 457,880 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. county. Upon further investigation, 57 cases reported earlier were not L.A. County residents.

“For everyone who has lost a friend or loved one to COVID-19, we are wishing you healing and peace during this very sad time,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health.

“As we see the distressing surge in cases, we know that we can expect in the upcoming weeks alarming increases in hospitalizations and deaths,” Ferrer said. “Actions taken by each of us will make or break our collective ability to prevent many people from becoming infected, seriously ill, and potentially passing away from COVID-19.

“The new Stay at Home Order gives us an opportunity to place a pause on all non-essential activities that increase the risk of transmitting the virus so that we are able to get the surge under control,” she said. “The most important action we can all take to stop the surge is to stay home as much as possible. Please, as we watch these numbers go up to levels we have never seen here in L.A. County, I ask everyone to make it their mission to do their part to prevent further transmission of the virus. We owe it to ourselves and to each other.”

California Monday Snapshot

Statewide, as of Sunday, December 6, the California Department of Public Health confirmed a total of 1,366,435 COVID-19 cases (up 24,735), with 19,935 deaths from the disease (up 59) since the pandemic began.

There are 10,070 confirmed hospitalizations and 2,360 ICU hospitalizations in the state, continuing a very sharp upward trend.

California’s 7-day positivity rate is 10.5% and the 14-day positivity rate is 8.4%, continuing a very sharp upward trend.

As case numbers continue to rise statewide, the number of patients who will have serious outcomes will also increase.

As of December 1, local health departments have reported 56,265 confirmed positive cases in healthcare workers and 221 deaths statewide.

There have been 25,493,351 COVID-19 tests conducted in California, an increase of 298,305 over the prior 24-hour reporting period.

Numbers do not represent true day-over-day change as these results include cases from prior to yesterday.

See more California info later in this report.

Screencap from the Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering COVID-19 dashboard, showing COVID cases in the United States as of Monday afternoon, December 7, 2020.

COVID Worldwide: More than 1.5 Million Dead; U.S. Cases Total Nears 15 Million

Worldwide, 67,440,864 people have been infected by COVID-19 while 1,541,661 people have died of the virus as of 12:26 p.m. Monday Pacific Time, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

In the U.S., more than 14,883,966 Americans have been diagnosed with COVID-19. New cases and hospitalizations continue at all-time record highs. The number of people in the U.S. who have died due to the virus has now surpassed 283,211.

With 4.25% of the world’s population (328.2 million) and more than 20% of the confirmed COVID-19 cases, the U.S. also continues to lead the world in deaths.

By comparison, Brazil (population 209.5 million) is No. 2 in deaths with 176,941, and No. 3 in cases with 6,603,540. India (population 1.353 billion) is No. 2 in cases, with 9,677,203 confirmed cases and 140,573 deaths as of Monday afternoon.

Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital Monday Update

With a new death reported Friday and the three additional fatalities reported Monday, Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital’s death total is up to 42, according to hospital spokesman Patrick Moody.

As of Monday, December 7, of the 13,115 people tested at Henry Mayo to date, 1,581 tested positive, 15,848 were negative, 5 were pending, 65 patients were hospitalized in a dedicated unit receiving ICU-level care (13 more than Friday) and a total of 439 COVID-19 patients have been treated and discharged so far, Moody said.

Discrepancies in the testing numbers at the hospital are due to some patients being tested multiple times.

Privacy laws prohibit the hospital from releasing the community of residence for patients who die there; that info is reported by the L.A. County Public Health COVID-19 dashboard, which is generally 48 hours behind.

Henry Mayo releases complete statistics weekly, generally on Wednesdays, unless a new death occurs, as was the case Friday and Monday.

Santa Clarita Valley Monday Update

As of 8 p.m. Saturday, December 5, the latest update to the L.A. County Public Health COVID-19 data dashboard, 84 deaths had been reported among Santa Clarita Valley residents since the pandemic began.

Again, the data dashboard did not yet list Henry Mayo’s 40th, 41st or 42nd fatalities reported Monday.

Of the 84 SCV residents who have died, according to the dashboard, 69 lived in Santa Clarita (up 3), 5 in Castaic, 3 in Acton, 3 in Stevenson Ranch, 1 in unincorporated Bouquet Canyon, 2 in unincorporated Canyon Country (up 1), and 1 in Val Verde.

Of the 10,951 confirmed COVID-19 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 7,219

Castaic: 2,492 (includes Pitchess Detention Center and North County Correctional Facility*)

Stevenson Ranch: 357

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 295

Val Verde: 128

Acton: 148

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 71

Agua Dulce: 67

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 52

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 39

Elizabeth Lake: 22

Saugus/Canyon Country: 17

Bouquet Canyon: 16

Lake Hughes: 17

Sand Canyon: 7

San Francisquito/Bouquet Canyon: 4

*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.

L.A. County Aligns with State Regional Stay Home Order

As COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations surge and ICU capacity declines in Los Angeles County and across the Southern California Region, the Los Angeles County Health Officer Order has been modified to align with the State Regional Stay Home Order to prevent crowding and mingling among non-household members and overwhelming our healthcare system.

Read more here.

The University of Southern California’s Center for Social and Economic Research continues to conduct a weekly representative survey with L.A. County residents about their actions through the pandemic. From April, there has been an increase in people reporting they’ve recently visited another person’s home.

It appears that the warnings of the surge in cases of late October and early November had limited impact on people’s willingness to visit another person’s home, with just a slight dip the week before Thanksgiving.

Throughout the month of November, about one-third of respondents said they visited someone else’s home.

Business Compliance More Critical than Ever

Now more than ever, the county has asked our business partners to take extra steps to be fully compliant with the safeguards and modifications set forth in the Stay at Home Order and our existing Public Health protocols.

Public Health’s compliance teams continue to visit businesses across the County every day. During Public Health’s recent business compliance checks only 59% of businesses inspected were in full compliance with required safety protocols.

From November 23 through November 29, a total of 16 citations were issued to businesses including restaurants, gyms, and hotels for noncompliance with Health Officer Orders.

Since the end of August, a total of 378 citations have been issued.

A list of non-compliant businesses that received citations can be found online at www.publichealth.lacounty.gov.

More L.A. County Demographics: Age

Of the 27 new deaths reported Monday, eight people who died were over the age of 80 years old, 13 people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, four people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64 years old, and two people who died were between the ages of 30 and 49 years old.

Twenty-three people who died had underlying health conditions including eight people over the age of 80 years old, 11 people between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, four people between the ages of 50 and 64 years old, and one person between the ages of 30 and 49 years.

Ninety-three percent of the people who have died from COVID-19 to date had underlying health conditions. Hypertension, high cholesterol, obesity, and diabetes are the most common underlying health conditions among people hospitalized with COVID-19. Many people have multiple underlying health conditions.

Cases by Age Group (Los Angeles County only — excluding Long Beach and Pasadena)
Young people are driving the surge of the virus’s spread with disastrous results for our elderly.

In the last month, the case rate for residents age 18 to 29 years old has more than doubled, from 11.5 cases per 100,000 people to 25 cases per 100,000 people.

The second-highest group, residents ages 30 through 49 years old, has nearly doubled from 9.4 cases to 18 cases per 100,000 people.

* 0 to 4 8125

* 5 to 11 18107

* 12 to 17 22282

* 18 to 29 108831

* 30 to 49 148669

* 50 to 64 81923

* 65 to 79 31822

* over 80 13011

* Under Investigation 2838

More L.A. County Demographics: Race/Ethnicity

Of those who died, information about race and ethnicity is available for 7,495 people (99 percent of the cases reported by Public Health); 52% of deaths occurred among Latino/Latinx residents, 24% among White residents, 14% among Asian residents, 9% among African American/Black residents, less than 1% among Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander residents and 1% among residents identifying with other races.

L.A. County Public Health’s 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 Regional Stay Home Order

The Regional Stay Home Order announced December 3 and a supplemental order signed December 6 will go into effect at 11:59 p.m. the day after a region has been announced to have less than 15% ICU availability.

The supplemental order clarifies retail operations and goes into effect immediately. They prohibit private gatherings of any size, close sector operations except for critical infrastructure and retail, and require 100% masking and physical distancing in all others.

Once triggered, these orders will remain in effect for at least 3 weeks. After that period, they will be lifted when a region’s projected ICU capacity meets or exceeds 15%. This will be assessed on a weekly basis after the initial three-week period.

Based on ICU data, two regions, San Joaquin Valley and Southern California, at 6.3% and 10.9%, respectively, are under the Regional Stay Home Order as of Monday, December 7. These regions will be eligible to exit from the order and return to the Blueprint for a Safer Economy on December 28 if ICU capacity projections for the following month are above or equal to 15%.

Learn more about these orders.

California Blueprint for a Safer Economy

Governor Gavin Newsom’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy imposes risk-based criteria on tightening and loosening COVID-19 allowable activities and expands the length of time between changes to assess how any movement affects the trajectory of the disease.

Californians can go to covid19.ca.gov to find out where their county falls and what activities are allowable in each county.

California Testing
More than 85 community testing sites offer free, confidential testing: Find a COVID-19 Testing Site.

The testing turnaround dashboard reports how long California patients are waiting for COVID-19 test results. California has worked to reduce testing turnaround times in recent weeks to help curb the spread of the virus.

During the week of November 22 to November 28, the average time patients waited for test results was 1.7 days. During this same time period, 51 percent of patients received test results in 1 day and 78 percent received them within 2 days. The testing turnaround time dashboard (PDF) is updated weekly.

All four tiers in the Testing Prioritization Guidance originally dated July 14, 2020, will have equal priority for testing.

California Demographics

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 more than one-and-a-half times their population representation across all adult age categories. For Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, overall numbers are low, but almost double 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.

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 November 30, 138 cases of MIS-C have been reported statewide, two more than the previous week.

To protect patient confidentiality in counties with fewer than 11 cases, CDPH is 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 are critical to preventing long-term complications.

Protect Yourself and Your Family

California is experiencing the fastest increase in cases we have seen yet – faster than what we experienced at the outset of the pandemic and this summer. If COVID-19 continues to spread at this rate, it could quickly overwhelm our health care system and lead to catastrophic outcomes.

Protect yourself, family, friends, and community by following these prevention measures:

* Staying home except for essential needs/activities following local and state public health guidelines when patronizing approved businesses. To the extent that sectors are re-opened, Californians may leave their homes to work at, patronize, or otherwise engage with those businesses, establishments or activities.

* Following the limited Stay at Home Order that requires all non-essential work and activities to stop between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. in counties in the purple tier. The order took effect at 10 p.m. Saturday, November 21, and will remain in effect until 5 a.m. December 21.

* Staying close to home, avoiding non-essential travel, and practicing self-quarantine for 14 days after arrival if you leave the state.

* Keeping gatherings small, short, and outdoors and limiting them to those who live in your household.

* 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

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.

It’s important if someone thinks they could be positive for COVID-19 and are awaiting testing results to stay at home and act as if they are positive. This means self-isolating for 10 days and 72 hours after symptoms and fever subside.

If a person tests positive for COVID-19, they should plan on receiving a call from a public health specialist to discuss how to protect themselves and others, find out where they may have been, and who they were in close contact with while infectious.

California COVID-19 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.

* 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)

Consolidated guidance is available on the California Department of Public Health’s Guidance webpage.

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Always check with trusted sources for the latest accurate information about novel coronavirus (COVID-19):

* Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

* California Department of Public Health

* Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

* Spanish

* World Health Organization

* Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 Dashboard

L.A. County residents can also call 2-1-1.

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