The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health reported the 65th COVID-19 death in the Santa Clarita Valley on Saturday, and on Monday confirmed seven new deaths and 472 new cases of the virus countywide.

The low number of new deaths and new cases reported reflects a reporting lag from over the weekend.

A total of 6,344 SCV residents have confirmed positive for COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began, according to Public Health.

To date, Public Health has identified 274,942 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County, and a total of 6,654 deaths.

Upon further investigation, 95 cases reported earlier were not county residents.

There are 674 people currently hospitalized with COVID-19 countywide, and 27% of them are in the ICU, a slight downward trend.

Testing results are available for more than 2,727,000 county residents, with 9% of all people testing positive.

“Each day, we know that these numbers represent tragedy for the many who have lost a person they cared about to this virus. Our deepest sympathies go out to all of you,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of L.A. County Public Health.

“I join with all others in wishing the President, the First Lady, and their staff and colleagues a fast and complete recovery,” Ferrer said. “And I extend these same wishes to all L.A. County residents who are sick from the coronavirus.”

Public Health officials on Monday also released an updated timeline for schools to apply for waivers for in-person learning, and for nail salons, cardrooms, indoor shopping malls and outdoor playgrounds to reopen this week.

More details on reopenings follow later in this report.

California Monday Snapshot

Statewide, as of Sunday, October 4, the California Department of Public Health confirmed a total of 826,784 COVID-19 cases (up 3,055), with 16,149 deaths from the disease (up 29).

There are 2,291 confirmed hospitalizations and 681 ICU hospitalizations in the state, a slight downward trend.

California’s 7-day positivity rate is 2.6% and the 14-day positivity rate is 2.8%.

As of October 4, local health departments have reported 40,063 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 191 deaths statewide.

There have been 15,301,681 COVID-19 tests conducted in California, an increase of 141,394 over the prior 24-hour reporting period.

Numbers may not represent true day-over-day change as reporting of test results can be delayed.

COVID Around the World: U.S. Tops the Chart

Worldwide, 35,330,119 people have been infected by COVID-19 while 1,025,315 people have died as of 12:23 Monday afternoon Pacific Time, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

Since the pandemic began, more than 7,445,897 Americans have been diagnosed with COVID-19, while the number of people in the U.S. who have died due to the virus has surpassed 210,013.

The United States has the world’s highest numbers of cases and deaths. By comparison, No. 2 Brazil’s death toll is 146,352. India, at No. 2 in cases, had confirmed 6,623,815 cases and 102,685 deaths as of Monday afternoon.

Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital Monday Update

Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital in Valencia on Friday reported its 25th COVID-19 death at the hospital since the pandemic began, according to spokesman Patrick Moody.

As of Friday, October 2, of the 8,571 people tested at Henry Mayo to date, 906 tested positive, 10,082 were negative, 27 were pending, 9 patients were hospitalized in a dedicated unit receiving ICU-level care (three fewer the previous report), and a total of 266 COVID-19 patients have been discharged so far.

Henry Mayo releases statistics weekly, generally on Wednesdays, unless there is a drastic change in the number of cases or a COVID-related death has been confirmed, 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,” he said.

Santa Clarita Valley Monday Update

As of 8 p.m. Saturday, October 3, the latest update to its COVID-19 data dashboard, L.A. County Public Health reported 65 deaths in the Santa Clarita Valley.

Of the 65 SCV residents who have died, 54 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 6,344 confirmed COVID-19 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 3,618

Castaic: 2,096 (includes Pitchess Detention Center and North County Correctional Facility*)

Stevenson Ranch: 175

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 146

Val Verde: 85

Acton: 73

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 48

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 28

Agua Dulce: 28

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 14

Bouquet Canyon: 9

Elizabeth Lake: 7

Sand Canyon: 7

Saugus/Canyon Country: 6

Lake Hughes: 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 Reopenings Timeline

Here’s L.A. County’s timeline for the reopening of additional sectors:

* As of October 1, nail salons resumed indoor services at 25% capacity. Outdoor services should continue as much as possible.

* As of Monday, October 5, cardrooms are cleared to reopen for outdoor operations only. Food and beverages may not be served at the tables. Face coverings are required.

* On Wednesday, October 7, indoor shopping malls will be allowed to reopen with occupancy limited to 25% capacity; all food courts and all common areas remain closed.

* Outside playgrounds can reopen at the discretion of cities and L.A. County Parks and Recreation. Face coverings and physical distancing are required.

Public Health continues consulting with County Counsel on the process for reopening outdoor operations at breweries and wineries serving a meal.

All operators of businesses that are allowed to reopen are required to implement all Public Health protocols before reopening to ensure compliance and avoid citations, fines and possible closure.

It is important that businesses protect employees, customers and residents from COVID-19 as much as possible by following Public Health protocols and directives.

Public Health continues to support businesses in complying with the required protocols that make employees and the community as safe as possible and offers to all businesses and employees the COVID-19 Safety Compliance Certification Program.

This free training allows businesses and employees to learn about safety protocols and to self-certify that they have completed the training.

To date, 1,903 employers and 1,949 employees have completed the training. We want to thank everyone who has participated, and we encourage all businesses and employees to take advantage of this program.

Public Health’s compliance team continues to visit businesses across the county every day. While the inspectors’ goal is to assist businesses to become compliant with requirements, they do continue to issue citations that result in fines and unfortunately closings to those who are unable or refuse to take the steps needed to protect their workforce and community.

School Waivers for In-Person Learning

Beginning Monday, October 5, schools can apply for a waiver to reopen their classrooms for in-person instruction for students in grades TK through 2.

To apply, schools must complete an online application available at www.publichealth.lacounty.gov.

The application must be accompanied by letters of support from employees and parents. In addition, schools must also submit a completed Public Health K-12 Protocol Checklist to demonstrate that they are in compliance with all required infection control protocols.

The program prioritizes the issuance of waivers to schools with higher percentages of students qualified for free/reduced meals and is capped at 30 schools per week.

The review process will take 2-3 weeks and includes consultation with the California Department of Public Health.

Emphasis on Infection Control, Distancing

As more sectors are allowed to reopen in the county this week, Public Health officials highlight infection control and distancing as the best ways to avoid becoming infected with COVID-19, and cautions daily testing is not a substitute for these safety measures.

“It is the personal responsibility of everyone – businesses, institutions, and individuals – to protect ourselves and each other from the further transmission of this dangerous virus,” Ferrer said.

“Compliance on everyone’s part is so important to reopening sectors and continuing to keep them open,” she said. “None of us want to move backward in our recovery, and this will require each business, school and resident to use every tool we have to slow the spread of COVID-19 in all settings and circumstances.”

The most effective way to prevent transmission is always wearing a cloth face covering and keeping a physical distance when around people you do not live with.

Gatherings of any kind, even with people you know who have no symptoms and have been tested, can still result in the transmission of the virus to many people, especially when people are not diligent about wearing face coverings and keeping physical distance.

Daily testing for the virus is not a substitute for infection control and distancing since it does not prevent someone from becoming infected and passing the virus along to others.

Because of the virus’s long incubation period, even a person who has recently tested negative for the virus could be positive within hours of testing and can infect other people unknowingly.

Isolating when positive and quarantining when exposed are two other important tools in slowing the spread of COVID-19.

As a reminder, anyone who tests positive needs to isolate from others for at least 10 days, until symptoms have improved, and they are fever-free for at least 24 hours.

Any person that tests positive for COVID-19 may be able to infect others for up to 10 days after being diagnosed, even if the person never had symptoms or their symptoms have subsided, and anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 may have been able to infect others for at least 48 hours before they tested positive or before they showed any symptoms.

The goal for everyone, including Public Health, businesses, and residents, is to reopen sectors in a way that does not result in more cases, illness, and deaths from COVID-19.

We are seeing in cities across the country and the world that with reopening often comes increases in transmission of the virus that ultimately requires sectors to close again for the safety of residents.

More L.A. County Demographics: Age

Of the seven new deaths reported Monday, three people who died were over the age of 80 years old, one person was between 65 and 79 years old, two people were between 50 and 64 years old, and one person was between 30 and 49 years old.

Five people who died had underlying health conditions including three people over 80 and two people between 50 and 64 years old.

Countywide, 92% of people who died had underlying health conditions.

Cases by Age Group (Los Angeles County only — excluding Long Beach and Pasadena)

* 0 to 4 4383

* 5 to 11 9447

* 12 to 17 11728

* 18 to 29 64683

* 30 to 49 89113

* 50 to 64 50196

* 65 to 79 19920

* over 80 9234

* Under Investigation 1567

More L.A. County Demographics: Race/Ethnicity

Of those who died, information about race and ethnicity is available for 6,265 people (99 percent of the cases reported by Public Health); 51% of deaths occurred among Latino/Latinx residents, 23% 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.

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 Blueprint for a Safer Economy

Governor 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 September 20 to September 26, the average time patients waited for test results was 1.2 days. During this same time period, 69 percent of patients received test results in 1 day and 92 percent received them within two days. The testing turnaround time dashboard (PDF) is updated weekly.

As of September 22, California’s testing capacity and turnaround time have improved. As a result and until further notice, 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 October 2, 103 cases of MIS-C have been reported statewide, an increase of 5 over 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

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.

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, to 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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