The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed Tuesday the highest number of new COVID-19 cases and people hospitalized with COVID-19 that L.A. County has ever experienced throughout the pandemic.

Public Health has confirmed 46 new deaths and 7,593 new cases of COVID-19, including 9,902 total cases in the Santa Clarita Valley. The number of new COVID-19 cases significantly surpassed the previous high of 6,124 new cases seen last week, and signals that the virus is infecting more people at a faster rate than ever seen in L.A. County before. The daily test positivity rate Tuesday is almost 12%, up from 7% one week ago.

There are 2,316 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 24% of these people are in the ICU. This exceeds the peak of 2,232 people hospitalized with COVID-19 during the July surge. The daily number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 has increased nearly every day since November 1 when the daily number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 was 799.

Testing results are available for more than 3,760,000 individuals with 10% of all people testing positive.

To date, Public Health identified 408,396, positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 7,700 deaths.

California Tuesday Snapshot
Statewide, the California Department of Public Health confirmed a total of 1,225,189 confirmed, with 19,211 deaths from the disease. There are 8,240 confirmed hospitalizations and 1,890 ICU hospitalizations in California.

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

There were 12,221 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 7.0% and the 14-day positivity rate is 6.5%.

There have been 24,161,313 tests conducted in California. This represents an increase of 136,142 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.

County Tier Updates
On Tuesday, CDPH updated the Blueprint for a Safer Economy county tiers based on data from Nov. 19 – Nov. 25, with a four-day lag. Fifty-two of California’s 58 counties are in the Purple Tier.

One county will move to a more restrictive tier:

Red (substantial) to Purple (widespread) Tier: Mono
Mono is required to implement this tier change on Wednesday, Dec. 2.

Health Care Worker Infection Rates
As of Nov. 30, local health departments have reported 53,003 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 218 deaths statewide.

Santa Clarita Valley Tuesday Update
As of 4:20 p.m. Tuesday, the L.A. County Public Health dashboard, remains unchanged from Monday. L.A. County Public Health reported a total of 82 deaths in the Santa Clarita Valley since the pandemic began, but did not yet log the 83rd death reported Wednesday by Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital.

Of those 83 SCV residents who have died, 67 lived in Santa Clarita, 5 in Castaic, 3 in Acton, 3 in Stevenson Ranch, 1 in unincorporated Bouquet Canyon, 1 in unincorporated Canyon Country, 1 in Val Verde, 1 in unincorporated Valencia, and 1 in a community not yet named.

Of the 9,902 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 6,396

Castaic: 2,427 (includes Pitchess Detention Center and North County Correctional Facility*)

Stevenson Ranch: 316

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 243

Val Verde: 122

Acton: 119

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 65

Agua Dulce: 61

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 50

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 36

Bouquet Canyon: 16

Elizabeth Lake: 16

Saugus/Canyon Country: 14

Lake Hughes: 11

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 its 38th death due to COVID-19 on Monday, Nov. 30, following two deaths last week, reported Tuesday and Wednesday, according to hospital spokesman Patrick Moody.

As of Monday, of the 12,502 people tested at Henry Mayo to date, 1,408 tested positive, 15,124 were negative, 13 were pending, 52 patients were hospitalized in a dedicated unit receiving ICU-level care (10 more than last Wednesday), and a total of 402 COVID-19 patients have been treated and discharged so far, Moody said.

Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital releases complete statistics weekly, generally on Wednesdays, unless a new death occurs, he said.

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.

L.A. County

“To the families that are mourning their loved one who has passed away from COVID-19, we wish you healing and peace,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “Today, Tuesday, December 1, 2020, is the worst day thus far of the COVID-19 pandemic in Los Angeles County. However, it will likely not remain the worst day of the pandemic in Los Angeles County. That will be tomorrow, and the next day and the next as cases, hospitalizations and deaths increase. Every resident and every business needs to take immediate action if we are to dampen this alarming surge. We are in the middle of an accelerating surge in a pandemic of huge magnitude. This is not the time to skirt or debate the safety measures that protect us because we need every single person to use every tool available to stop the surge and save lives.”

To stop the surge, everyone needs to immediately stay home as much as possible and always wear a face covering whenever engaging in activities outside their homes. Do not mingle with others not in your household. Because COVID-19 spreads from person to person through respiratory droplets, face coverings combined with frequent hand-washing and physical distancing provide the best protection if you need to leave your home.

Public Health’s compliance teams continue to visit businesses across the County every day. Inspectors review Public Health protocols with business owners, identify deficiencies, and issue citations for those out of compliance. From November 8 through November 22, a total of 57 citations were issued to businesses including restaurants, gyms, places of worship and private schools for noncompliance with Health Officer Orders. Since the end of August, a total of 352 citations have been issued. A list of non-compliant businesses that received citations can be found online.

Employees are reminded if you need to go onsite to work, wear a face covering, practice distancing and follow all other infection control requirements. If you have concerns about your workplace following safety protocols that keep you and customers safe, you can anonymously call the customer call center at (888) 700-9995, Monday through Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. To report violations online, visit: www.publichealth.lacounty.gov.

Universal compliance is essential to save lives. Issuing citations to businesses operating in violation of Health Officer Orders is one tool that assists in bringing businesses into compliance, however it is not the way we are going to get out of this pandemic. It is imperative that businesses as well as customers immediately and carefully follow the safety protocols and guidance that slows COVID-19 spread.

Businesses are encouraged to take advantage of the COVID-19 Safety Compliance Certification Program because it assists businesses with following the required directives and maintaining their operations with as much safety as possible. To date, 6,874 employers and 6,337 employees have completed the training. For more information on the program and to take the training course, visit: www.publichealth.lacounty.gov.

Of the 46 new deaths reported Tuesday, 22 people that passed away were over the age of 80 years old, 10 people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, eight people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64 years old, four people who died were between the ages of 30 and 49 years old, and one person who died was between the ages of 18 and 29 years old. Twenty-nine people who died had underlying health conditions including 12 people over the age of 80 years old, eight people between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, five people between the ages of 50 and 64 years old, three people between the ages of 30 and 49 years old, and one person between the ages of 18 and 29. One death was reported by the City of Long Beach.

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 7,270 people (99 percent of the cases reported by Public Health); 52% of deaths occurred among Latino/Latinx residents, 24% 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. Upon further investigation, 116 cases and one death 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.

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. 15 – Nov. 21, the average time patients waited for test results was 1.4 days. During this same time period, 59 percent of patients received test results in 1 day and 86 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. 30, 138 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.