The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health on Monday confirmed 5 new deaths and 1,431 new positive cases of COVID-19, as the county sees a surge in transmission and two more deaths were reported in the Santa Clarita Valley.

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

The SCV, with 123 new cases reported since Friday, has now tallied 7,776 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 78 deaths from the virus since March 11, when the World Health Organization declared the pandemic.

To date, Public Health has counted 7,177 confirmed COVID-19 deaths and 323,625 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. county. Upon further investigation, 13 cases reported earlier were not county residents.

“Our hearts go out to everyone who has lost a friend or loved one who has passed away from COVID-19. We are thinking of you every day,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health.

‘Alarming Increases’ in New Cases

From mid-September to late-October, new reported COVID-19 cases went from a little over 750 cases per day to almost 1,400 cases per day.

Over the weekend, Public Health reported for Saturday and Sunday, a total of 4,656 cases — 2,418 new cases for Saturday and 2,238 new cases for Sunday.

These numbers are demonstrating real and alarming increases, officials said.

There are 855 people currently hospitalized with COVID-19 countywide, and 29% of them are in the ICU.

Test results are available for more than 3,270,000 county residents, with 9% of all people testing positive.

Public Health officials remind everyone who participated in a gathering, especially one where there were crowds and where people were not distancing and wearing a face covering, that it is important to take very seriously that you may have been exposed to COVID-19.

Please quarantine for 14 days and, in particular, stay away from anyone who is at increased risk for serious illness from the virus. This includes elderly family members and friends with underlying health conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.

Public Health also encourages people who participated in such gatherings to get tested for COVID-19. There continues to be plenty of testing capacity across our county, and anyone can make an appointment to be tested at covid19.lacounty.gov/testing.

“We are once again at a pivotal point in our recovery journey,” Ferrer said. “There is no real path forward until we get back to slowing the spread. We don’t have the luxury of ignoring our individual and collective responsibilities if we want to see more children go to school and businesses remain open.

“Recovery doesn’t continue when you have thousands of new cases each day, and many of these new cases stem from people taking risks that are frankly not appropriate,” she said. “It isn’t that hard to play by the rules, especially since these rules are what keeps some people alive and allows our economy to improve.”

See more L.A. County updates later in this report.

California Monday Snapshot

Statewide, as of Sunday, November 8, the California Department of Public Health confirmed a total of 971,851 COVID-19 cases (up 7,212), with 17,977 deaths from the disease (up 14).

There are 3,001 confirmed hospitalizations and 839 ICU hospitalizations in the state, continuing an upward trend.

The total number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients in California has surged from 2,334 to 3,001 over the last 14 days, an increase of 28.6%, according to data released Monday by California Gov. Gavin Newsom and the CDPH.

RELATED: Halloween Parties, Family Functions Fuel COVID Cases Spike in California

Newsom also reacted to Pfizer’s announcement Monday of promising early test data on its COVID-19 vaccine candidate but warned California residents not to let their guard down yet.

“I am concerned, truthfully, that we may get over-exuberant because now we believe we have a safe and effective vaccine that is available and people may go back to their original form,” Newsom said. “That would be a terrible mistake. It is absolutely incumbent upon us to recognize two things: A vaccine is on the way. That’s good news. But the availability to you and me and others outside our first responders, outside our healthcare professionals, is many, many months off.”

California’s 7-day positivity rate is 4.1% and the 14-day positivity rate is 3.7%, continuing an upward trend.

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

As of November 8, local health departments have reported 46,208 confirmed positive cases in healthcare workers and 209 deaths statewide.

There have been 19,918,479 tests COVID-19 tests conducted in California, an increase of 193,851 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, November 9, 2020.

COVID Worldwide: 1.26 Million People Dead; U.S. Toll Tops with 237,835 Deaths

Worldwide, 50,766,136 people have been infected by COVID-19 while 1,260,956 people have died of the virus as of 12:25 p.m. Monday Pacific Time, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

As of Monday afternoon, after a week of record-breaking daily new case numbers, more than 10,042,654 Americans have been diagnosed with COVID-19. The number of people in the U.S. who have died due to the virus has surpassed 237,835.

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 162,397. India (population 1.353 billion) is No. 2 in cases, with 8,553,657 confirmed cases and 126,611 deaths as of Monday afternoon.

Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital Monday Update
Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital on Monday reported its 33rd death due to COVID-19 since the pandemic began, according to hospital spokesman Patrick Moody.

Privacy laws prohibit the hospital from releasing the community of residence for patients who die; that info is reported by L.A. County Public Health.

Henry Mayo releases complete statistics weekly, generally on Wednesdays, unless a new death occurs.

As of Monday, November 9, of the 10,786 people tested at Henry Mayo to date, 1,104 tested positive, 13,009 were negative, 4 were pending, 21 patients were hospitalized in a dedicated unit receiving ICU-level care (eight more than last week), a total of 321 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.

Santa Clarita Valley Monday Update

As of 8 p.m. Saturday, November 7, the latest update to its COVID-19 data dashboard, L.A. County Public Health reported 77 deaths in the Santa Clarita Valley since the pandemic began, including the city of Santa Clarita’s 64th fatality, but had not yet logged the death reported Monday by Henry Mayo.

Of those 78 SCV residents who have died, 64 lived in Santa Clarita, 4 in Castaic, 3 in Acton, 3 in Stevenson Ranch, 1 in unincorporated Bouquet Canyon, 1 in Val Verde, 1 in unincorporated Valencia, and one in a community not yet named.

Of the 7,776 confirmed COVID-19 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 4,743

Castaic: 2,224 (includes Pitchess Detention Center and North County Correctional Facility*)

Stevenson Ranch: 221

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 179

Val Verde: 106

Acton: 92

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 53

Agua Dulce: 44

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 39

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 29

Saugus/Canyon Country: 12

Bouquet Canyon: 10

Elizabeth Lake: 9

Sand Canyon: 7

Lake Hughes: 6

San Francisquito/Bouquet Canyon: 2

*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.

Highly Impacted Communities Update

As Public Health officials have seen increases in cases over the last few weeks, they see certain communities experiencing the burden of transmission of the virus more than others.

Overall, in Los Angeles County, the current adjusted case rate over the last two weeks is 188 cases per 100,000 people. During the same time period, in Pacoima, the adjusted case rate is 506 cases per 100,000 people, in Sun Valley, the adjusted case rate is 456 cases per 100,000 people and in Palmdale, the adjusted case rate is 406 cases per 100,000 people.

The county is re-aligning resources to communities experiencing significant surges including targeted compliance and support for cases and close contacts.

The county’s Community Health Worker Outreach Initiative will coordinate and mobilize community health workers, also called Promotoras, in highly impacted communities to conduct healing-informed grassroots community outreach.

Community health workers will provide accurate and up-to-date information regarding COVID-19 and connect residents with needed critical services, including health insurance, testing, mental health services and other safety net services such as food pantries and housing assistance.

They will share current public health directives and inform residents about safety requirements at sectors that are open and requirements for worker safety.

“Promotoras are trusted community members who share the ethnicity, language, and life experiences of the families they serve,” said Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Pro Tem Hilda L. Solis.

One important role that community health workers will play is helping residents understand the importance of participating in contact tracing and dispelling myths and rumors about COVID-19.

Currently, there are 46 Community Health Workers and 14 supervisors assigned to support these field efforts, and an additional 170 Public Health staff participated in training for this work last week.

The county is in the process of contracting with community-based organizations to train and mobilize hundreds of additional community health workers to engage with community residents through December and are grateful to our community partners and community health workers for taking on this critically important work.

More L.A. County Demographics: Age

Of the five new deaths reported today, one person who died away was older than 80 years old, two people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, and two people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64 years old.

Four people who died had underlying health conditions including two people between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, and two people between the ages of 50 and 64 years old.

Ninety-three percent of the people who have died from COVID-19 to date had underlying health conditions.

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

* 0 to 4 5472

* 5 to 11 11775

* 12 to 17 14514

* 18 to 29 76343

* 30 to 49 104894

* 50 to 64 58773

* 65 to 79 23150

* over 80 10191

* Under Investigation 3421

More L.A. County Demographics: Race/Ethnicity

Of those who died, information about race and ethnicity is available for 6,767 people (99 percent of the cases reported by Public Health); 52% of deaths occurred among Latino/Latinx residents, 23% among White residents, 14% 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.

Skilled Nursing Facilities Update

There continues to be a steady decline in COVID-19 deaths associated with skilled nursing facilities. Skilled nursing facility COVID-19 associated deaths peaked in the beginning of May with 190 deaths a week. Last week, deaths in skilled nursing facilities dropped to 16 deaths a week.

These facilities did not experience a surge in COVID-19 deaths in July and August as Los Angeles County did overall. A significant reason for the improvement in our skilled nursing facility outcomes is the continued efforts at nursing homes to protect workers and residents through enhanced infection control, using appropriate PPE, and diligence in conducting the appropriate testing.

All 340 skilled nursing facilities in the county conduct weekly testing of residents and staff. For the week of October 24, nearly 46,000 COVID-19 tests were completed among staff and residents. One hundred and sixty-three people tested positive for COVID-19; there were 77 new cases among residents and 86 new cases among staff.

As of October 24, 233 facilities reported no positive cases. For comparison, in early September, nearly half of all skilled nursing facilities had an outbreak. Nearly all skilled nursing facilities report having adequate staffing (99%) and having adequate PPE (95%).

Healthcare Workers Update

Public Health also continues tracking the number of positive cases and deaths among healthcare workers related to the COVID-19 pandemic response.

There have been a total of 17,647 positive cases among healthcare workers and first responders in Los Angeles County. Seventy percent of healthcare workers who tested positive are younger than 50 years old. Slightly over half of the cases are among Latino/Latinx healthcare workers, and 68% of cases are among women.

There has been a total of 107 deaths among healthcare workers. More than half of these deaths occurred among men, which is an overrepresentation of deaths since the majority of cases are among women. Three-quarters of deaths are among healthcare workers who are age 50 and older, and 45% are among Latino/Latinx healthcare workers. The vast majority, 83%, had underlying health conditions. Nurses continue to account for the majority of deaths among healthcare workers at 36%.

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 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 October 25 to October 31, the average time patients waited for test results was 1.3 days. During this same time period, 63 percent of patients received test results in 1 day and 88 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 2, 126 cases of MIS-C have been reported statewide, seven 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

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, 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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