The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed Tuesday 39 new deaths and 905 new cases of confirmed COVID-19, with 6,156 total cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.

To date, Public Health has identified 269,284 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County, and a total of 6,551 deaths.

There are 714 people currently hospitalized with COVID-19 and 34% of these people are in the ICU.

After a motion was approved by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) will plan to open the school waiver program for in person instruction for grades TK-2.

The program will begin accepting applications in early October for 30 schools per week and prioritize the issuance of waivers to schools with higher percentages of students qualified for free/reduced meals.

Superintendents must submit school district waiver requests to re-open for approval by the local Health Officer. The decision to grant a waiver will be based on ensuring that schools are able to open in full adherence with the L.A. County school re-opening protocols. The process requires consultation with the California Department of Public Health prior to accepting or rejecting waiver applications. The application process will be available online at www.publichealth.lacounty.gov and will be launched in early October.

California Tuesday Snapshot
Statewide, the California Department of Public Health confirmed a total of 807,425, with 15,640 deaths from the disease. There are 2,392 confirmed hospitalizations and 693 ICU hospitalizations in California.

Numbers may not represent true day-over-day change as reporting of test results can be delayed.

There were 2,162 newly recorded confirmed cases Monday. Numbers do not represent true day-over-day change as these results include cases from prior to yesterday.

The 7-day positivity rate is 2.9% and the 14-day positivity rate is 2.8%.

There have been 14,613,545 tests conducted in California. This represents an increase of 128,693 over the prior 24-hour reporting period.

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

New Testing Turnaround Time Dashboard
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 Sept. 13 – Sept. 19, the average time patients waited for test results was 1.2 days. During this same time period, 69 percent of patients received test results in 1 day and 90 percent received them within two days. The testing turnaround time dashboard (PDF) is updated weekly.

As of Sept. 22, 2020, California’s testing capacity and turnaround time have improved. As a result and until further notice, all four tiers in the Testing Prioritization Guidance originally dated July 14, 2020 will have equal priority for testing.

Health Care Worker Infection Rates
As of Sept. 28, local health departments have reported 38,907 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 185 deaths statewide.

Santa Clarita Valley Tuesday Update
As of 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, the latest update to its COVID-19 data dashboard, L.A. County Public Health reported 60 deaths in the Santa Clarita Valley. Of the 60 SCV residents who have died, 49 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, and 1 in unincorporated Valencia.

Of the 6,156 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 3,499

Castaic: 2,065 (includes Pitchess Detention Center and North County Correctional Facility*)

Stevenson Ranch: 166

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 137

Val Verde: 78

Acton: 70

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 47

Agua Dulce: 28

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 27

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 11

Bouquet Canyon: 8

Elizabeth Lake: 7

Sand Canyon: 7

Lake Hughes: 4

Saugus/Canyon Country: 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.

Henry Mayo Tuesday Update
As of Friday, Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital reported its 24th COVID-related death according to hospital spokesman Patrick Moody.

As of the Friday, the last day the hospital released numbers, 8,149 people tested at Henry Mayo to date, 878 tested positive, 9,551 were negative, 13 were pending, 12 patients were hospitalized in a dedicated unit receiving ICU-level care, and a total of 255 COVID-19 patients have been discharged so far.

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.

Henry Mayo releases statistics weekly, generally on Wednesdays, unless there is a drastic change in the number of cases or a COVID-related death has been confirmed.

L.A. County

“Each day we think of the families across our communities experiencing the sorrow of losing someone they love to COVID-19. We are so sorry for your loss,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “We have to remember that with every re-opening there is increased risk for COVID-19 transmission. Our cautious approach to re-opening, thus far, has led to slight decreases of daily cases, hospitalizations and deaths, and we will continue to move cautiously so that we can consider safely reopening additional services and businesses in the near future. We will be reviewing waiver applications meticulously so that we can be assured that the schools have the protocols in place that will minimize COVID-19 spread as much as possible.”

Although Los Angeles County met the State’s metric thresholds for Tier 2 last week, L.A. County remains in Tier 1 due to the current adjusted daily case rate of 7.3 cases per 100,000 residents. Per the State guidelines, to move to Tier 2, the County’s case rate needs to be 7 or fewer new cases a day per 100,000 residents for two consecutive weeks. The County’s test positivity rate is 2.9% which places the County in Tier 3 for this metric. The State places Counties in the most restrictive Tier when the metrics fall in two different tiers, so the County remains in Tier 1 because the daily case rate indicates there is still widespread transmission in our communities.

Of the 39 new deaths reported Tuesday, 23 people that passed away were over the age of 80 years old, 11 people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, four people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64 years old, and one person who died was between the ages of 30 and 49 years old. Thirty-one people who died had underlying health conditions including 17 people over the age of 80, nine people between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, four people between the ages of 50 and 64 years old, and one person between the ages of 30 and 49 years old. 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 6,165 people (99 percent of the cases reported by Public Health); 51% of deaths occurred among Latino/Latinx residents, 23% among White residents, 15% 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. Upon further investigation, 76 cases and three deaths reported earlier were not L.A. County residents.

Testing results are available for more than 2,654,000 individuals with 9% of all people testing positive.

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 Tuesday

Blueprint for a Safer Economy

Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled the Blueprint for a Safer Economy, a statewide plan for reducing COVID-19 and keeping Californians healthy and safe. The plan 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.

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)

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 Sept. 28, 98 cases of MIS-C have been reported statewide. 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.