The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health on Monday confirmed 2,593 new cases of COVID-19 and 13 new deaths due to the virus countywide, as Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital reported its 15th death, bringing the Santa Clarita Valley’s total to 38 fatalities.

L.A. County also modified its Health Officer Order Monday to roll back closures to align with the statewide directives ordered Monday by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

A total of 3,672 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the SCV have been reported to Public Health to date; the total includes 1,587 cases in the city of Santa Clarita.

Countywide, Public Health continues to see evidence of increased community spread of COVID-19, reporting 136,129 positive cases of COVID-19 and a total of 3,822 deaths to date. Ninety-three percent of people who died had underlying health conditions.

There are 2,056 people with confirmed COVID-19 cases currently hospitalized in L.A. County, 28% of them in the ICU and 20% on ventilators.

“For the many families that are mourning the loss of a loved one, our thoughts and prayers are with you every day,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, director of L.A. County Public Health.

“We continue to see (an) increased number of new cases and hospitalizations,” Ferrer said. “To slow the spread and prevent more hospitalizations and deaths, everyone should limit their time with others not in your household. We must take this opportunity to get back to slowing the spread, but to do so, we need everyone’s help. Please find ways to enjoy and celebrate summer only with those from your household, wear your face covering when out and wash your hands frequently.”

California Cases
Statewide, the California Department of Public Health on Monday confirmed a total of 329,162 cases as of July 12 (up 8,358), with 7,040 deaths (up 23) from the disease.

There were 6,485 confirmed hospitalizations and 1,833 ICU hospitalizations in California.

The 7-day average of new cases per day is up, from 7,876 during the prior week to 8,211 last week.

Santa Clarita Valley Monday Update
Of the 3,672 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 1,587

Castaic: 1,821 (includes Pitchess Detention Center and North County Correctional Facility*)

Stevenson Ranch: 82

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 55

Val Verde: 34

Acton: 34

Agua Dulce: 15

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 23

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 10

Elizabeth Lake: 5

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 3

Bouquet Canyon: 1

Lake Hughes: 1

Sand Canyon: 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 Monday Update
Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital reported its 15th COVID-related death on Monday, July 13, according to Patrick Moody, hospital spokesman.

Of the 38 SCV residents who have died of the virus to date, 30 resided in the city of Santa Clarita, 2 in Acton, 2 in Castaic, 1 in Val Verde, 1 in unincorporated Valencia, 1 in unincorporated Bouquet Canyon, and 1 in a community not yet named, according to Public Health records.

As of Monday, of the 4,316 people tested at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital to date, 454 tested positive, 4,010 were negative, 484 were pending, 15 patients were hospitalized in a dedicated unit receiving ICU-level care and a total of 137 COVID-19 patients have been discharged so far, Moody said.

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

The hospital is now releasing numbers on a weekly basis (Wednesdays) unless there is a drastic change in the number of cases or a death has been confirmed.

County Health Order Modified to Align with State
The county Health Officer Order was modified Monday to align with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s statewide directives announced Monday morning to prevent more cases, more serious illnesses, increased hospitalizations and more deaths.

The July 13 Order requires the closure of additional indoor operations for certain sectors which promote the mixing of populations beyond households and make adherence to physical distancing with face coverings difficult:

* Gyms and Fitness Centers

* Places of Worship

* Indoor Protests

* Offices for Non-Critical Infrastructure Sectors as identified at covid19.ca.gov

* Personal Care Services (including nail salons, massage parlors and tattoo parlors)

* Hair Salons and Barbershops

* Malls

Bars, indoor dining at restaurants, indoor museums, indoor operations at zoos and aquariums, and cardrooms and satellite wagering facilities remain closed in Los Angeles County, and all events and gatherings are prohibited unless specifically allowed by the Order.

Reopening Protocols for K-12
As the new round of closures was announced, L.A. County Public Health also released reopening protocols for K through 12 schools in the county.

Developed in consultation with more than 500 stakeholders, the protocols are intended to serve as a roadmap for school districts as they plan how to reopen with as much safety as possible for students, teachers, staff and their families.

The protocols do not authorize schools to reopen for in-person classroom instruction. School re-openings will be guided by the state and by each school district’s decision on how to best configure learning opportunities during the pandemic, considering the levels of community transmission and what the science tells us about the risks.

Schools that re-open campuses will need to adhere to the public health and safety requirements detailed in the protocol released Monday.

L.A. County Demographics, Testing
All of the 13 people who passed away were over the age of 65 years old and nine of these people had underlying health conditions.

Of those who died, information about race and ethnicity is available for 3,553 people (99 percent of the cases reported by Public Health): 46% of deaths occurred among Latino/Latinx residents, 26% among White residents, 16% among Asian residents, 11% 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, 13 cases reported earlier were not L.A. County residents.

Testing results are available for more than 1,338,000 individuals with 9% of all people testing positive.

Best Protections
The best protection against COVID-19 continues to be to wash your hands frequently, avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands, self-isolate if you are sick, practice physical distancing and wear a clean face covering when in contact with others from outside your household.

Everyone must always wear a face covering securely over your nose and mouth and keep six feet apart from others not in your household when out and about. Businesses must continue to follow Public Health directives. It is the collective responsibility shared between everyone including businesses and residents to slow the spread of COVID-19 to prevent an overwhelming surge of COVID-19 cases at healthcare facilities and save lives.

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 Testing
Due to the state’s dramatic increase in testing capacity and growing demand for tests, laboratories and local public health departments are processing and verifying more test results than ever. As a result, the reporting of some test results has been delayed.

The California Department of Public Health is processing delayed test results and updating California’s case counts. To ensure the data accurately reflects how COVID-19 is impacting our communities, previously reported case numbers may sometimes be updated retroactively.

As testing capacity continues to increase across the state, an increase in the number of positive cases has been expected – increasing the importance of positivity rates to find signs of community spread.

CDPH is working to expand access to COVID-19 testing. Testing should be used for medical evaluation of persons with symptoms of COVID-19 as well as for efforts by public health agencies and essential employers to prevent and control the spread of COVID-19.

These numbers include data from commercial, private and academic labs, including Quest, LabCorp, Kaiser, University of California and Stanford, and the 25 state and county health labs currently testing.

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

California Demographics
California 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 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.

Protect Yourself and Your Family
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 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

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.

California COVID-19 Data Portal
The state’s data portal at COVID-19 Statewide Update 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 is updated daily and includes additional information as it is available.

For more information about what Californians can do to prevent the spread of COVID-19, visit Coronavirus (COVID-19) in California.

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:

* 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.