The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed Tuesday 23 new deaths and 1,224 new cases of COVID-19, with 7,494 total cases to date in the Santa Clarita Valley.

To date, Public Health identified 311,745 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 7,097 deaths.

Testing results are available for nearly 3,164,000 individuals with 9% of all people testing positive. There are 798 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 28% of these people are in the ICU.

Because there is increased transmission of COVID-19 in L.A. County, Public Health reminds everyone to follow Public Health safety guidance and to do their part every day to prevent COVID-19 spread. There is a high level of risk associated with gatherings of any kind, especially when people are not keeping physical distance of at least 6 feet and wearing face coverings. This includes in-person election viewing and dinner parties, as these types of gatherings can easily spread COVID-19. If you plan to watch election results, it is safest to do so at home with other people from your household or participate virtually with friends. If you are planning to get together with others, please follow the private gathering guidelines which permits households to gather outdoors with up to two other households for up to two hours, as long as everyone is wearing a face covering and distancing from each other. Indoor gatherings, events or parties of any size with non-household members are unsafe and are not permitted.

People have passed the virus to others, even before they knew they had it. Face coverings are strongly encouraged in indoor and outdoor settings where people might raise their voices, such as shouting, chanting, or singing; this is because when someone raises their voice, their respiratory droplets spread farther.

California Tuesday Snapshot
Statewide, the California Department of Public Health confirmed a total of 934,672, with 17,686 deaths from the disease. There are 2,602 confirmed hospitalizations and 743 ICU hospitalizations in California.

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

There were 4,044 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 3.2% and the 14-day positivity rate is 3.2%.

There have been 19,074,921 tests conducted in California. This represents an increase of 162,420 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 Oct. 18 – Oct. 24, the average time patients waited for test results was 1.3 days. During this same time period, 66 percent of patients received test results in 1 day and 90 percent received them within 2 days.The testing turnaround time dashboard (PDF) is updated weekly.

As of Sept. 23, 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 Nov. 2, local health departments have reported 44,870 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 205 deaths statewide.

Santa Clarita Valley Tuesday Update
As of 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, the L.A. County Public Health dashboard, reports 75 deaths in the Santa Clarita Valley from COVID-19. Of the 75 SCV residents who have died since the pandemic began, 62 lived in the city of Santa Clarita, 4 in Castaic, 3 in Stevenson Ranch, 2 in Acton, 1 in unincorporated Bouquet Canyon, 1 in Val Verde, 1 in unincorporated Valencia and 1 in a community not yet named.

Of the 7,494 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 4,518

Castaic: 2,204(includes Pitchess Detention Center and North County Correctional Facility*)

Stevenson Ranch: 205

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 177

Val Verde: 104

Acton: 86

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 53

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 39

Agua Dulce: 38

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 27

Saugus/Canyon Country: 11

Bouquet Canyon: 10

Elizabeth Lake: 9

Sand Canyon: 7

Lake Hughes: 5

San Francisquito/Bouquet Canyon: 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 Tuesday Update
Two patients died over the weekend at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital, according to alerts from hospital communications chief Marlee Lauffer, sitting in for spokesman Patrick Moody. That brings the hospital’s COVID-19 death toll to 32.

As of Wednesday, Oct. 28, (the last day when the most recent numbers were released) of the 10,109 people tested at Henry Mayo to date, 1,027 tested positive, 12,066 were negative, 14 were pending, 15 patients were hospitalized in a dedicated unit receiving ICU-level care and a total of 299 COVID-19 patients have been treated and discharged so far.

Discrepancies in the testing numbers at the hospital 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

“To the many people across L.A. County who are mourning the loss of a loved one or friend to COVID-19, we wish you healing and peace,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “We don’t have to endure the worst scenarios that this pandemic can create if everyone and every business takes responsibility to stop COVID-19 from spreading. When safety directives are not followed, we see cases, hospitalizations and deaths increase. When everyone distances, wears face coverings, and follows public health guidance, we see cases, hospitalizations and deaths decrease. There are many businesses and schools that have not yet re-opened because COVID-19 is spreading at concerning levels. When we ask everyone to follow safety measures that slow the spread of the virus, it is to save lives and so that we can get to a place where we can reopen more of our County.”

Throughout this pandemic when cases increase there is an increase of COVID-19 at worksites. It remains important that businesses adhere to workplace protocols that require infection control, distancing, masking, and appropriate PPE that protect employees, customers and residents from COVID-19 as much as possible.

Public Health’s compliance teams continue to visit businesses across the County every day. The compliance checks revealed good compliance with many aspects of Public Health protocols. Inspectors noted some businesses had not posted their completed protocols for reopening and some businesses need to ensure employees and patrons are appropriately distanced. From October 22 through October 25, a total of 14 citations were issued to businesses including restaurants and places of worship for noncompliance with Health Officer Orders. Since the end of August, a total of 220 citations have been issued. Public Health encourages L.A. County businesses to participate in the COVID-19 Safety Compliance Certification Program. The program provides business owners and employees the opportunity to take a free online training about COVID-19 infection control protocols and allows businesses to self-certify that they are fully implementing protocols in compliance with infection control and physical distancing requirements. To date, 8,460 employees and employers have completed the training.

Of the 23 new deaths reported today, six people that passed away were over the age of 80 years old, 13 people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, three people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64 years old, and one person who died was between the ages of 18 and 29 years old. Sixteen people who died had underlying health conditions including four people over the age of 80, nine people between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, two people between the ages of 50 and 64 years old, and one person between the ages of 18 and 29 years old.

Ninety-three 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 6,687 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, 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, 74 cases and two deaths reported earlier were not L.A. County residents.

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 Nov. 2, 126 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.