The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed Thursday more than 200,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Los Angeles County. To date, Public Health has identified 201,106 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas countywide, and a total of 4,869 deaths.

Public Health confirmed 48 new deaths and 3,290 new cases of COVID-19 in L.A. County. The high number of new cases are, in part, due to a backlog of test results received from one lab. Testing results are available for nearly 1,860,000 individuals with 10% of all people testing positive.

Public Health continues to anticipate receiving a backlog of cases once the State electronic laboratory system (ELR) issues are fixed. This issue has undercounted the County’s positive cases and affects the number of COVID-19 cases reported each day and our contact tracing efforts. Data sources that track other key indicators, including hospitalizations and deaths, are not affected by this reporting issue.

There are 1,741 confirmed cases currently hospitalized and 29% of these people are confirmed cases in the ICU. The number of hospitalized patients continues to decrease. This number was up to 2,200 patients in the middle of July.

California Thursday Snapshot
Statewide, the California Department of Public Health on Thursday confirmed a total of 529,980, with 9,869 deaths from the disease. There are 6,069 confirmed hospitalizations and 1,828 ICU hospitalizations in California.

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.

A total of 38 counties are required to close indoor operations for certain sectors based on the July 13 order to slow community transmission.

Data Reporting
Due to issues with the state’s electronic laboratory reporting system, these data represent an underreporting of actual positive cases in one single day.

Health Care Worker Infection Rates
As of August 5, local health departments have reported 25,254 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 130 deaths statewide.

Santa Clarita Valley Thursday Update
As of 5:15 p.m. Thursday, the latest L.A. County Public Health COVID-19 data dashboard reports of the 48 SCV residents who have died of the virus since the pandemic began, 37 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, 1 in unincorporated Valencia.

Of the 4,597 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 2,331

Castaic: 1,866 (includes Pitchess Detention Center and North County Correctional Facility*)

Stevenson Ranch: 122

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 86

Acton: 50

Val Verde: 47

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 37

Agua Dulce: 20

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 18

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 6

Elizabeth Lake: 5

Sand Canyon: 5

Bouquet Canyon: 2

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 Thursday Update
As of Wednesday, Aug. 5, of the 5,570 people tested at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital to date, 682 tested positive, 6,122 were negative, 176 were pending, 13 patients were hospitalized in a dedicated unit receiving ICU-level care (down 5 from a week ago), and a total of 202 COVID-19 patients have been discharged so far, as deaths stand at 20, hospital spokesman Patrick Moody confirmed.

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 48 new deaths, 14 people that passed away (excluding Long Beach and Pasadena) were over the age of 80 years old, 12 people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, 14 people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64 years old, and five people who died was between the ages of 30 and 49 years old. Thirty-seven people had underlying health conditions including 10 people over the age of 80 years old, nine people between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, 13 people between the ages of 50 and 64 years old, and five people between the ages of 30 and 49 years old. Two deaths were reported by the city of Long Beach and one death was reported by the city of Pasadena. 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 4,562 people (99 percent of the cases reported by Public Health); 49% of deaths occurred among Latino/Latinx residents, 24% 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, 96 cases and four deaths reported earlier were not L.A. County residents.

Data continues to expose disproportionality in health outcomes by race, ethnicity and income level data. African American/Black and Latino/Latinx residents are still twice as likely to die from COVID-19 when compared to White residents. Latino/Latinx residents have the highest rates of death, with a rate of 65 residents per 100,000 people. Residents in communities with high levels of poverty are four times as likely to die of COVID-19 compared to residents in communities with the highest income levels.

“Our hearts go out to the family and friends of those who have passed away from COVID-19 and the thousands that have been sickened by this virus,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “In order to slow the spread of COVID-19 enough to be able to open our schools and get people back to work, we need to reduce non-essential activities that have us in close contact with people who aren’t in our households. This includes not attending or hosting parties, not gathering in areas that are crowded, and not participating in activities prohibited by the Health Officer Orders. We cannot arrest or enforce our way out of this pandemic. Collectively we need to take those actions that the science tells us will work to slow the transmission: wear a face covering, maintain physical distance, wash hands frequently, and avoid gatherings with those not in your household.”

In order to address the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on Black and Brown residents in L.A. County, strategies are needed that protect workers in jobs that involve close contact with others. There must be a focus on compliance at workplaces with the Health Officer Orders, including workplace modifications to limit the spread of COVID-19 among employees along with universal sick leave benefits and job protections for anyone required to isolate or quarantine, unemployment benefits for those who are unable to work due to the pandemic, and community resources to support isolation and quarantine.

Public Health continues to respond to a high volume of Health Officer Order complaints. Since March, Public Health received a total of 20,129 Health Officer Order complaints and investigated more than 19,000 restaurants, more than 4,300 grocery stores, and more than 3,600 other businesses.

Twenty-seven restaurants and 76 other businesses which include seven gyms were shut down for Health Officer Order violations. Most of the businesses under investigation either came into compliance or were working to come into compliance and that’s why they were not closed.

Given the current ELR delays, the department urges any person with a positive lab result to call 1-833-540-0473 to connect with a public health specialist who can provide information about services and support. Residents who do not have COVID-19 should continue to call 211 for resources or more information.

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 Testing
There have been 8,500,463 tests conducted in California. This represents an increase of 91,063 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.

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 38 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.

[Open .pdf in new window]