The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health on Tuesday confirmed 1,337 new cases of COVID-19 and 33 new deaths due to the virus countywide, with a total of 2,780 cases reported in the Santa Clarita Valley since the pandemic began, 18 more than reported Monday.

In the SCV, 26 people have died of the virus to date — 21 resided in the city of Santa Clarita, 2 in Acton, 1 in Castaic, 1 in unincorporated Valencia, 1 in unincorporated Bouquet Canyon.

Countywide, Public Health has reported 75,084 positive cases of COVID-19 and a total of 2,959 deaths to date. Ninety-three percent of people who died had underlying health conditions.

Statewide, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has reported a total of 153,560 confirmed cases and 5,121 deaths from COVID-19.

California’s positivity rate – a key indicator of community spread – remains stable in the 14-day average. Hospitalization rates remain stable over the long-term while showing a slight uptick in the 14-day average. To date, 2,937,755 tests have been conducted in California. As testing capacity continues to increase across the state, an increase in the number of positive cases has been expected – increasing the importance of test positivity rates to find signs of community spread. There have been 5,121 COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

Health Care Worker Infection Rates
As of June 15, local health departments have reported 12,295 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 75 deaths statewide.

Santa Clarita Valley Tuessday Update

Of the 2,780 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 907

Castaic: 1,721 (includes Pitchess Detention Center and North County Correctional Facility*)

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 39

Stevenson Ranch: 41

Val Verde: 23

Acton: 17

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 12

Agua Dulce: 9

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 5

Elizabeth Lake: 3

Bouquet Canyon: 1

Lake Hughes: 1

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 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
Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital reported its 12th COVID-related death on Tuesday, June 16, (the day when the most recent numbers were released), according to hospital spokesman Patrick Moody.

As of Tuesday, June 16, of the 2,045 persons tested at Henry Mayo to date, 234 tested positive, 2,013 were negative, 60 were pending and 3 patients were hospitalized in a dedicated unit receiving ICU-level care. A total of 91 COVID-19 patients have been discharged so far.

Discrepancies in the testing numbers are due to some patients being tested more than once, he 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, Moody said.

L.A. County Demographics
Twenty-four people who died were over the age of 65 years old, eight people who died were between the ages of 41 and 65 years old, and one person who died was between the ages of 18 and 40 years old. Twenty-eight people had underlying health conditions including 20 people over the age of 65 years old and eight people between the ages of 41 to 65 years old.

Of those who died, information about race and ethnicity is available for 2,748 people (99 percent of the cases reported by Public Health)

42% of deaths occurred among Latino/Latinx residents, 28% among White residents, 17% among Asian residents, 11% among African American residents, less than 1% among Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander residents and 1% among residents identifying with other races. Upon further investigation, 44 cases reported earlier were not L.A. County residents. There are 1,288 people who are currently hospitalized, 31% of these people are in the ICU and 25% are on ventilators. Testing capacity continues to increase in L.A. County, with testing results available for nearly 841,000 individuals and 8% of people testing positive.

“Each day, we are thinking of the many families who are grieving for loved ones lost to COVID-19. Our hearts go out to you, and we wish you healing and peace,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “Thank you for continuing to look out for each other by following protocols for reopening, keeping physical distancing and always wearing cloth face coverings when around other people. These are significant actions – and with an increase in the number of people infected with COVID-19, these actions are absolutely necessary to make sure we continue to slow the spread.”

As the recovery journey continues, successful reopening depends on businesses and individuals carefully following distancing and infection control directives. Because this virus has not changed and is still easily transmitted among people in contact with each other, everyone must continue to follow distancing and infection control directives and wear a clean cloth face covering that securely covers both your nose and mouth when in contact with other people not in your household. It’s important if someone thinks they could be positive and are awaiting testing results, to stay at home and act as if they are positive for COVID-19. This means self-isolating for 10 days and 72 hours after symptoms and fever subside, or until they receive a negative result. If a person tests positive for COVID-19, they should plan on receiving a call from a contact tracer 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.

Public Health issued a modified Health Officer Order designed to help move the county of Los Angeles into stage 3 of California’s Pandemic Resilience Roadmap. The modified Health Officer Order allows for the following sectors to reopen once they implement the required protocols for infection control and distancing:

– Gyms and fitness facilities

– Pro-league arenas without live audiences

– Day camps

– Museums, galleries, zoos and aquariums

– Campgrounds, RV parks and outdoor recreation

– Music, film and television production

– Hotels for leisure travel

As with all businesses that are permitted to reopen, the Health Officer Order contains protocols for reopening to ensure it is done as safely as possible for employees, customers and residents. Employees and visitors to these businesses need to wear a cloth face covering when around other people and practice physical distancing of at least 6 feet at all times. Some employees may also be required to wear face shields. The directives are contained in sector-specific protocols that guide re-opening and are available online. It is important for everyone to follow the directives and to do their part every day to keep everyone as safe 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.

The best protection against COVID-19 continues to be to wash your hands frequently, avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands, self-isolate if you are sick, practice physical distancing, and wear a clean face covering when in contact with others from outside your household. People who have underlying health conditions remain at much greater risk for serious illness from COVID-19, so it will continue to be very important for the County’s vulnerable residents to stay at home as much as possible, to have groceries and medicine delivered, and to call their providers immediately if they have even mild symptoms.

California Tuesday
As testing capacity continues to increase across the state, the California Department of Public Health is working to expand access to COVID-19 testing. Testing should be used for medical evaluation of persons with symptoms of COVID-19 as well as for efforts by public health agencies and essential employers to prevent and control the spread of COVID-19. Individuals prioritized for testing include:

– Hospitalized patients

– Symptomatic and asymptomatic healthcare workers, first responders, and other social service employees

– Symptomatic individuals age 65 and older or symptomatic individuals of any age with chronic medical conditions that increase the risk of severe COVID-19 illness

– Individuals who are tested as part of disease control efforts in high-risk settings

– Asymptomatic residents and employees of congregate living facilities when needed to prevent disease transmission

– Symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals in essential occupations such as grocery store and food supply workers, utility workers and public employees

– Other individuals with symptoms consistent with COVID-19

As of June 15, there have been 2,937,755 tests conducted in California and reported to the California Department of Public Health. This represents an increase of 69,573 tests over the prior 24-hour reporting period.

These numbers include data from commercial, private and academic labs, including Quest, LabCorp, Kaiser, University of California and Stanford, and the the 25 state and county health labs currently testing.

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.