The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health on Monday reported 8 new deaths and the county’s highest-ever daily number of new confirmed cases of COVID-19 — 6,124 since Sunday — as unincorporated Canyon Country recorded its first COVID fatality over the weekend.

Around 1,500 cases are backlog cases due to reporting systems being updated over the weekend, Public Health officials said Monday. The low number of new deaths reported also reflects that weekend lag.

With 436 new confirmed cases reported among Santa Clarita Valley residents since Friday, the SCV has now tallied 9,070 COVID-19 cases and 81 deaths from the virus since the pandemic began.

Countywide, Public Health has counted 7,446 confirmed COVID-19 deaths and 370,636 positive cases of COVID-19 to date. Upon further investigation, eight cases reported earlier were not county residents.

“For everyone across the county who are grieving these 7,446 people who have passed away from COVID-19, we are mourning with you. We wish you all healing and peace as you are going through this very difficult time,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health.

‘Distressing Increases’ in Hospitalizations

As cases have increased over the last few weeks, L.A. County is also seeing distressing increases in the daily number of people hospitalized for COVID-19.

There are 1,473 people currently hospitalized with COVID-19 countywide; 27% of the patients are in the ICU. This is a 73% increase from November 7 when 849 people were in the ICU.

Test results are available for more than 3,583,000 individuals with 10% of all people testing positive for COVID-19.

Steeper Increase in Cases Than Summer

L.A. County is experiencing a steeper increase in daily cases of COVID-19 than seen during the summer surge in June and July.

From June 20 through July 3, average daily cases increased by 43%. From October 31 through November 13, the average daily cases have increased by 108%.

Public Health is not confident these numbers will decrease this week since new case numbers reflect actions people were taking a couple of weeks ago.

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

California Monday Snapshot

Statewide, as of Sunday, November 22, the California Department of Public Health confirmed a total of 1,110,370 COVID-19 cases (up 8,337), with 18,726 deaths from the disease (up 50) since the pandemic began.

There are 5,459 confirmed hospitalizations and 1,333 ICU hospitalizations in the state, continuing an upward trend.

California’s 7-day positivity rate is 5.8% and the 14-day positivity rate is 5.5%, leveling off.

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

As of November 22, local health departments have reported 50,0526 confirmed positive cases in healthcare workers and 214 deaths statewide.

There have been 22,457,544 tests COVID-19 tests conducted in California, an increase of 220,235 over the prior 24-hour reporting period.

In addition to lower numbers of processed cases over the weekend, due to a system upgrade on Friday evening to Saturday mid-day, local processing of COVID-19 cases may have been delayed, resulting in a low number of reported cases today. The system upgrade was successfully completed on Saturday and CDPH and local health departments are working to process all cases reported over the weekend.

See more California info later in this report.

COVID Worldwide: Nearly 60 Million People Infected; U.S. Deaths Pass 257,000 People

Worldwide, 59,091,743 people have been infected by COVID-19 while 1,395,045 people have died of the virus as of 4:26 p.m. Monday Pacific Time, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

More than 12,396,241 Americans have been diagnosed with COVID-19. Hospitalizations continue at record levels nationwide. The number of people in the U.S. who have died due to the virus has surpassed 257,560.

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 169,485, and No. 3 in cases with 6,087,608. India (population 1.353 billion) is No. 2 in cases, with 9,139,865 confirmed cases and 133,738 deaths as of Monday afternoon.

Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital Monday Update
Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital releases complete statistics weekly, generally on Wednesdays, unless a new death occurs, according to hospital spokesman Patrick Moody.

As of Wednesday, November 18, of the 11,502 people tested at Henry Mayo to date, 1,188 tested positive, 13,932 were negative, 10 were pending, 20 patients were hospitalized in a dedicated unit receiving ICU-level care (one fewer than last week), a total of 348 COVID-19 patients have been treated and discharged so far, Moody said.

The number of patients who have died at the hospital due to COVID-19 stands at 35, he confirmed.

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.

Santa Clarita Valley Monday Update

As of 8 p.m. Saturday, November 21, the latest update to its COVID-19 data dashboard, L.A. County Public Health had reported a total of 81 deaths among Santa Clarita Valley residents since the pandemic began.

Of those 81 people who died, 65 lived in Santa Clarita, 6 in Castaic, 3 in Acton, 3 in Stevenson Ranch, 1 in unincorporated Bouquet Canyon, 1 in unincorporated Canyon Country, 1 in Val Verde, and 1 in unincorporated Valencia, according to the data dashboard.

Of the 9,070 confirmed COVID-19 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 5,750

Castaic: 2,348 (includes Pitchess Detention Center and North County Correctional Facility*)

Stevenson Ranch: 274

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 213

Val Verde: 118

Acton: 105

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 61

Agua Dulce: 58

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 47

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 33

Bouquet Canyon: 16

Saugus/Canyon Country: 12

Elizabeth Lake: 10

Lake Hughes: 10

Sand Canyon: 7

San Francisquito/Bouquet Canyon: 3

*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.

Ripple Effects of Surge

“The data emphasize some of the ripple effects we are seeing as COVID-19 cases across the county are surging,” L.A. County Public Health’s Barbara Ferrer said.

“At the end of the day, more people are becoming infected at their jobs and this results in more transmission back in the community,” she said. “As we have asked so many times over the past months, we hope you will be able to dig deep and find a way to make the changes required with the new safety modifications.

“We are fortunate that there is now a very bright light at the end of this long tunnel with the promising news about effective vaccines and we know we will be in a different place next year,” Ferrer said. “This year though, we need to continue to ask all individuals and businesses to own their part in slowing the spread of COVID-19 so that we can stop the surge in cases and ultimately get back to our recovery.”

New Safety Measures Designed to Stop the Surge

The controls that our jurisdiction and other states and communities have put in place work. While we may resent the safety measures, and many have a tremendous impact on families and the economy, a recent report in the New York Times has shown they prevent significant suffering and death.

States with the fewest control measures in place to slow transmission of the virus are seeing some of the highest case rates during this current national surge. States with the tightest control measures have among the lowest daily case rates, despite seeing increases.

Last week, Los Angeles County established thresholds for additional actions if the five-day average of cases is 4,000 or more or hospitalizations are more than 1,750 per day.

Specifically, the county noted in a press release on November 17 that if the five-day average of cases is 4,000 or more, outdoor and indoor dining at restaurants, breweries, wineries and bars will be prohibited and these businesses will only be able to offer pick-up and delivery.

Because the five-day average of new cases increased to more than 4,000 cases this past Saturday, the L.A. County Health Officer Order is being modified to restrict dining at restaurants, breweries, wineries and bars effective Wednesday, November 25 at 10 p.m.

If the five-day average of cases is 4,500 or more or hospitalizations are more than 2,000 per day, a Targeted Safer at Home Order with additional safety modifications will be issued.

Given that the county’s five-day average case rate is now over 4,500, Public Health will be working with the Board of Supervisors to determine additional safety modifications.

Meanwhile, Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who represents the county’s Fifth District including the Santa Clarita Valley, and Santa Clarita city officials are pushing back on the new restrictions on businesses, particularly restaurants that offer outside dining.

Surge of Infections Among Healthcare Workers

Public Health is closely tracking the number of positive cases among healthcare workers related to the COVID-19 pandemic response to be sure we have sufficient healthcare workers to staff our facilities and care for patients.

This week, we are reporting an additional 842 new cases among healthcare workers, one of the highest increases seen in months.

When community transmission increases, this affects health care workers in two ways; they have many more patients to care for and they also experience more exposure both at work and in their communities.

‘Alarming Levels’ of Workplace Outbreaks

As COVID-19 surges in Los Angeles County, COVID-19 workplace outbreaks across multiple sectors are increasing at alarming levels.

In just a two-week period, from October 31 to November 14, outbreaks in food facilities increased by more than 200%. Food facilities include restaurants, bottling plants, food processing facilities, grocery stores, and other food-related businesses operating in the county.

During the same time period, the county saw a 67% increase in outbreaks at general worksites which include many other worksites, including warehouse facilities, essential office worksites, retailers and manufacturing facilities.

More than ever, Public Health officials ask businesses to take extra steps to be fully compliant with the new safeguards and restrictions set forth in the modified state and county Health Officer Orders.

More L.A. County Demographics: Age

Of the eight new deaths reported today, two people that passed away were over the age of 80 years old, five people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, and one person who died was between the ages of 50 and 64 years old. All of these people who died had underlying health conditions.

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 6459

* 5 to 11 14029

* 12 to 17 17182

* 18 to 29 87940

* 30 to 49 120202

* 50 to 64 66773

* 65 to 79 26101

* over 80 11172

* Under Investigation 2279

More L.A. County Demographics: Race/Ethnicity

Of those who died, information about race and ethnicity is available for 6,989 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, 9% among African American/Black residents, less than 1% among Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander residents and 1% among residents identifying with other races.

Additionally, Pacific Islanders, Latino/Latinx residents and African American/Black residents consistently have the highest rate of hospitalizations across age groups.

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 November 8 to November 14, the average time patients waited for test results was 1.3 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 16, 129 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

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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