Following surging COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in recent weeks, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed Tuesday 51 new deaths – including an additional death at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital – and 3,692 new cases of COVID-19.

This is the highest number of deaths reported since Sept. 9.

The Santa Clarita Valley reported 9,134 total cases to date, 64 more than Monday’s total.

COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to accelerate at alarming speed. There are 1,575 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 26% of these people are in the ICU. Just two weeks ago, there were 888 people with COVID-19 hospitalized.

The increases in cases and hospitalizations must slow to avoid overwhelming our hospitals and healthcare staff, and save lives.

Anytime a person removes their mask and interacts in close distance with others not in their household, even outdoors, they risk either infecting another person with COVID-19 or becoming infected themselves. The longer that interaction, the higher the risk of COVID-19 spread.

It is critical that everyone follow the simple public health safety measures that provide protection from COVID-19 and minimize spreading it to friends and family.

Everyone should stay home as much as possible and limit going out to what is essential for the next two to three weeks to slow the surging cases and save lives. Staying home as much as possible, always wearing face covering securely over your nose and mouth when out and avoiding being near anyone not in your household are the simple actions that slow the spread of COVID-19. Public Health urges residents to connect virtually with friends and family members you do not live with.

Testing results are available for more than 3,600,000 individuals with 10% of all people testing positive. The cumulative positivity rate has increased. The cumulative positivity rate remained 9% over many weeks.

To date, Public Health identified 374,134 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 7,497 deaths. Upon further investigation, 194 cases reported earlier were not L.A. County residents.

California Tuesday Snapshot
Statewide, the California Department of Public Health confirmed a total of 1,125,699 confirmed, with 18,769 deaths from the disease. There are 5,844 confirmed hospitalizations and 1,397 ICU hospitalizations in California.

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

There were 15,329 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 5.9% and the 14-day positivity rate is 5.6%.

There have been 22,741,363 tests conducted in California. This represents an increase of 283,819 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.

Note: Due to a system upgrade on Friday evening to Saturday mid-day, local processing of COVID-19 cases may have been delayed, resulting in a low number of reported cases Monday and higher reported numbers Tuesday.

Health Care Worker Infection Rates
As of Nov. 23, local health departments have reported 50,318 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 214 deaths statewide.

Santa Clarita Valley Tuesday Update
As of 5:15 p.m. Tuesday, the L.A. County Public Health dashboard, remains unchanged from Monday with 81 deaths in the Santa Clarita Valley since the pandemic began. The (36th) death from Henry Mayo had not yet been recorded as of deadline.

Of those 81 SCV residents who have died, 65 lived in Santa Clarita, 6 in Castaic, 3 in Acton, 3 in Stevenson Ranch, 1 in unincorporated Bouquet Canyon, 1 in unincorporated Canyon Country, 1 in Val Verde, and 1 in unincorporated Valencia.

Of the 9,134 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 5,791

Castaic: 2,358 (includes Pitchess Detention Center and North County Correctional Facility*)

Stevenson Ranch: 280

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 217

Val Verde: 119

Acton: 106

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 61

Agua Dulce: 57

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 47

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 33

Bouquet Canyon: 16

Elizabeth Lake: 15

Saugus/Canyon Country: 14

Lake Hughes: 10

Sand Canyon: 7

San Francisquito/Bouquet Canyon: 3

*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
Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital reported an additional death to COVID-19 Tuesday, bringing the total since the pandemic began to 36, hospital spokesman Patrick Moody said.

Of the 11,985 people tested at Henry Mayo to date, 1,283 tested positive, 14,548 were negative, 0 were pending, 39 patients were hospitalized in a dedicated unit receiving ICU-level care and a total of 373 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.

Privacy laws prohibit the hospital from releasing the community of residence for patients who die there; that info is reported by the L.A. County Public Health COVID-19 dashboard, which is generally 48 hours behind.

Henry Mayo releases complete statistics weekly, generally on Wednesdays, unless a new death or drastic change in numbers, occurs.

L.A. County

Of the 51 new deaths reported today, 18 people that passed away were over the age of 80 years old, 19 people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, 12 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. Forty-one people who died had underlying health conditions including 15 people over the age of 80 years old, 17 people between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, eight people between the ages of 50 and 64 years old, and one person between the ages of 30 and 49 years old. One death was reported by the city of Pasadena.

“We extend our deepest sympathies to the many families who are grieving the loss of a loved one due to COVID-19. We’re also thinking of all the people who are sick and hospitalized from COVID-19. We send you our warmest thoughts for a full recovery,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “People mixing with others not in their household has driven the COVID-19 pandemic in L.A. County to dangerous levels. Because L.A. County reached a five-day average case rate over 4,500 new cases, Public Health is working with the Board of Supervisors on additional safety measures to reduce transmission of the virus. Public Health is recommending that gatherings only occur with members of your own household and occupancy at all sites be reduced to avoid crowding.”

Given the huge surge in cases nationwide, we strongly recommend that you only celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday with people from your household and that you not gather with people from outside your household, even outdoors. Please don’t plan, host or attend holiday gatherings for multiple households. Instead connect virtually together.

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 7,077 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, 9% among African American/Black residents, less than 1% among Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander residents and 1% among residents identifying with other races.

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.

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 Nov. 8 – Nov. 14, the average time patients waited for test results was 1.3 days. During this same time period, 60 percent of patients received test results in 1 day and 88 percent received them within 2 days. The testing turnaround time dashboard (PDF) is updated weekly.

At this time, all four tiers in the Testing Prioritization Guidance originally dated July 14, 2020, will have equal priority for testing.

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.

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. 23, 136 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: Latinos, African Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders are dying at disproportionately higher levels. 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.

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)

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.