The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed Saturday 50 new deaths and 2,303 new cases of COVID-19, as Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital reported two additional COVID-related deaths to date, bringing SCV’s total to 48.

New COVID-19 reported deaths continue to remain higher than last week’s average of nearly 38 new deaths a day.

Deaths are a lagging indicator of the spread of COVID-19 and reflects exposures that occurred weeks earlier.

To date, Public Health has identified 190,693 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County, and a total of 4,669 deaths. Upon further investigation, 91 cases and two deaths reported earlier were not L.A. County residents.

There are 1,904 people with confirmed cases of COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 30% are in the ICU.

Testing results are available for nearly 1,779,000 individuals with 10% of all people testing positive.

California Saturday Snapshot
Statewide, the California Department of Public Health on Saturday confirmed a total of 500,130, with 9,224 deaths from the disease. There are 6,459 confirmed hospitalizations and 1,966 ICU hospitalizations in California.

The 7-day average number of new cases is 7,819 per day. The 7-day average from the week prior was 10,005. Numbers may not represent true day-over-day change as reporting of test results can be delayed.

As case numbers continue to rise in California, the total number of individuals who will have serious outcomes will also increase.

Note on Hospitalization Numbers:
Since July 23, hospitalization numbers reflect a change in reporting requirements that were implemented last week by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The change resulted in historical data from eight non-reporting facilities not being part of recent updates, resulting in lower numbers. This data will be added back in as soon as it is available.

A total of 37 counties are required to close indoor operations for certain sectors based on the July 13 order to slow community transmission.

Health Care Worker Infection Rates
As of July 31, local health departments have reported 23,796 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 127 deaths statewide.

Santa Clarita Valley Saturday Update
As of Saturday, the L.A. County Public Health COVID-19 data dashboard reports an additional death in the city of Santa Clarita, bringing the total to 48 SCV residents who have died of the virus since the pandemic began. Of the 48 people, 35 resided 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 and 2 in communities not yet named.

Of the 4,381 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 2,152

Castaic: 1,859 (includes Pitchess Detention Center and North County Correctional Facility*)

Stevenson Ranch: 115

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 81

Acton: 44

Val Verde: 44

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 34

Agua Dulce: 20

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 14

Elizabeth Lake: 5

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 5

Sand Canyon: 5

Bouquet Canyon: 1

Lake Hughes: 1

Saugus/Canyon Country: 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 Saturday Update
Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital reported two additional COVID-related deaths on Saturday according to hospital spokesman Patrick Moody.

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

As of Saturday, of the 5,403 people tested at Henry Mayo to date, 664 tested positive, 5,927 were negative, 177 were pending, 18 patients were hospitalized in a dedicated unit receiving ICU-level care, a total of 191 COVID-19 patients have been discharged so far, with two additional deceased bringing the total to 20, 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.

L.A. County
Of the 50 new deaths reported Saturday, 12 people that passed away (excluding Long Beach and Pasadena) were over the age of 80 years old, 15 people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, 15 people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64 years old, and five people who died were between the ages of 30 and 49 years old. Thirty-six people had underlying health conditions including 12 people over the age of 80 years old, 13 people between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, seven people between the ages of 50 and 64 years old, and four people between the ages of 30 and 49 years old. Two deaths were reported by the city of Pasadena and one death was reported by the city of Long Beach.

Ninety-two percent of the people who died from COVID-19 had underlying health conditions. Of those who died, information about race and ethnicity is available for 4,365 people (99 percent of the cases reported by Public Health); 48% of deaths occurred among Latino/Latinx residents, 25% among White residents, 15% 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.

“To the many families who have lost loved ones to COVID-19, we send you our deepest condolences and prayers,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “The number of deaths we are seeing is a sad reminder of the devastation COVID-19 causes. We can save lives and slow the spread of COVID-19 by modifying our behavior when we are around others. Only by doing our part and working together can we reduce transmission to a lower rate that allows more people to get back to work and allows our children to return to their classrooms. Hopefully, as you make your decisions about how to spend this beautiful weekend, you will do so understanding your power to affect the health of the entire community.”

Immediate actions by business owners and residents to slow the spread of COVID-19 are urgently needed. Adequate testing and case investigations are critical tools to contain spread, but in order to slow the spread of COVID-19 everyone needs to comply with the directives already in place. Laboratory reports for positive COVID-19 test results need to be timely. Businesses must abide by Health Officer Orders, implement the required infection control protocols and report any COVID-19 outbreaks to Public Health. Everyone has to wear a face covering, avoid gathering with people you don’t live with, stay home as much as possible, and practice hand hygiene. People that are COVID-19 positive should respond to Public Health specialist calls and provide the information requested during the case interview process. Self-isolating and quarantining must continue for people that are positive and those individuals exposed to a positive case.

People who have underlying health conditions remain at much greater risk for serious illness from COVID-19. The elderly or people that have serious underlying health conditions should stay home as much as possible.

The 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 Saturday
There have been 7,886,587 tests conducted in California. This represents an increase of 75,546 over the prior 24-hour reporting period. 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. The California Department of Public Health released updated testing guidance on July 14 that focuses on testing hospitalized individuals with signs or symptoms of COVID-19 and people being tested as part of the investigation and management of outbreaks, including contact tracing. The testing guidance also prioritizes individuals who have COVID-19 symptoms and individuals without symptoms who fall into high-risk categories, including people who live and work in nursing homes, homeless shelters and prisons, healthcare workers, and patients in hospitals. The new guidance will ensure that Californians who most need tests get them even if there are limited supplies.

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.

Popular links include:

– 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)

County Monitoring Data
California is using data and science to respond to COVID-19. Data by county gives Californians insight into how their county is doing and provides an early indication of developing areas of concern. Counties on the County Monitoring List for three or more consecutive days must close indoor operations for additional activities. Currently, a total of 37 counties are required to close indoor operations.

For more information, County Data Monitoring page.

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 July 20, 23 cases of MIS-C have been reported from seven counties. Los Angeles County has reported the majority of cases (15). Additional cases have been reported from San Diego, Imperial, Kings, Monterey, Orange, and Sacramento counties. To protect patient confidentiality in counties with fewer than 11 cases, we are 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 is critical to preventing long-term complications.

Racial Demographics – A More Complete Picture
The California Department of 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 about double their population representation across all adult age categories. For Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, overall numbers are low, but about three-fold difference 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.

New Data Portal
The state has launched a new, user-friendly data portal at COVID-19 Statewide Update that 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 will be updated daily and will include additional information as it is available.

Your Actions Save Lives
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 such 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.

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.

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.

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

California continues to issue guidance on preparing and protecting California from COVID-19. Consolidated guidance is available on the California Department of Public Health’s Guidance webpage.