The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed Saturday 37 new deaths and 2,770 new cases of COVID-19. To date, Public Health has identified 153,041 positive cases of COVID-19 countywide, including more than 11,000 children and teens infected, and a total of 4,084 deaths.

In Santa Clarita, Public Health has confirmed 3,891 cases to date.

Currently countywide, there are 2,188 confirmed cases hospitalized, 28% of these people are confirmed cases in the ICU and 18% are confirmed cases on ventilators. This is the fourth consecutive day of hospitalization over 2,100 confirmed cases. Data continues to show younger people between the ages of 18 and 40 years old are being hospitalized at a higher rate than seen at any point in this pandemic.

Testing results are available for over 1,491,000 individuals with 9% of all people testing positive.

As of 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Los Angeles County dashboard remains unchanged with 41 SCV residents who have died of the virus to date. Thirty-three 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.

Statewide, the California Department of Public Health on Saturday confirmed a total of 375,363, with 7,595 deaths from the disease.

California’s positivity rate – a key indicator of community spread – is trending upward in the 14-day average. Hospitalization rates are also trending upward in the 14-day average.

Numbers may not represent true day-over-day change as reporting of test results can be delayed, and the 7-day average more accurately describes trends in number of cases. The 7-day average number of new cases is 9,003 per day. The 7-day average from the week prior was 8,228.

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.

A total of 32 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 17, local health departments have reported 19,211 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 107 deaths statewide.

Santa Clarita Valley Saturday Update
Of the 3,891 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 1,761

Castaic: 1,834 (includes Pitchess Detention Center and North County Correctional Facility*)

Stevenson Ranch: 91

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 62

Acton: 37

Val Verde: 37

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 29

Agua Dulce: 15

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 11

Elizabeth Lake: 5

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 4

Sand Canyon: 2

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 its 15th COVID-related death on Monday, July 13, according to Patrick Moody, hospital spokesman.

As of Monday, (when the most recent numbers were released) 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 unless there is a drastic change in the number of cases or a death has been confirmed.

L.A. County
“For the families that are experiencing the profound grief of losing a loved one to COVID-19, we grieve with you and you are in my thoughts,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “We continue to see concerning data, including data that shows us that younger people are contributing to the increased spread of COVID-19. We are all experiencing the frustration from this pandemic, but I ask that we each behave with kindness and consider that we can all prevent sickness and death. Although this is another beautiful weekend in Los Angeles County, I urge our residents to wear their face coverings and keep away from crowds and people they don’t live with. The Governor has made it clear that until we reduce the rate of transmission of COVID-19 in L.A. County, it is too dangerous for our schools to re-open for in-person classroom instruction. Let’s get back to working together to slow the spread and continue our recovery journey.”

Of the 37 people that passed away (excluding Long Beach and Pasadena), 25 people were over the age of 65 years old, nine people who died were between the ages of 41 and 65 years old and two people who died were between the ages 18 and 40. Thirty-one people had underlying health conditions including 21 people over the age of 65 years old, eight people between the ages of 41 to 65 years old and two people between the ages of 18 and 40 years ole. One death was reported by the city of Long Beach.

Ninety-two percent of people who died had underlying health conditions. Of those who died, information about race and ethnicity is available for 3,801 people (99 percent of the cases reported by Public Health); 47% of deaths occurred among Latino/Latinx residents, 26% 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. Upon further investigation, 48 cases reported earlier were not L.A. County residents.

To slow the spread of the COVID-19 and protect students, teachers and the school community, a new Health Officer Order was issued that adheres to California Department of Public Health’s directive that schools in Los Angeles County and 31 other counties on the State’s monitoring list, cannot resume in-person learning next month.

Business owners must take immediate action in order to slow the spread of COVID-19. Current Health Officer Orders require business owners to close indoor operations at many businesses and take immediate action to implement strategies that protect workers and customers.

Residents need to make sure they are doing their part as well. Residents should always wear a face covering securely over their nose and mouth and keep six feet apart from others not in their household when out in public and wash hands frequently. Everyone should avoid the Three Cs: Crowded places, Confined spaces and Close contact with others not in your household. Public Health reminds everyone that you remain safer at home.

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.

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 6,167,218 tests conducted in California. This represents an increase of 123,119 over the prior 24-hour reporting period. 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 – currently 32 counties accounting for 80 percent of the state’s population – must close indoor operations for additional activities.

For more information, County Data Monitoring page.

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.