L.A. County Public Health on Tuesday confirmed 57 new deaths and 1,901 new cases of COVID-19 in the county, with 4,500 cases confirmed to date in the Santa Clarita Valley, including 2,247 in the city of Santa Clarita.

Since the pandemic began, Public Health has identified 195,614 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of the county, and a total of 4,758 deaths, including 48 fatalities in the SCV.

“We send our deepest sympathies and prayers to our neighbors who have lost loved ones to COVID-19,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of L.A. County Public Health.

Tuesday’s L.A. County data is incomplete due to delays in the California Department of Public Health reporting system.

CDPH revealed Tuesday that it had discovered an underreporting of COVID-19 cases due to technical issues with its electronic laboratory reporting system, which in turn reports into the state’s disease registry system (CalREDIE). More on that later in this story.

Countywide, 1,757 people are hospitalized with confirmed cases of COVID-19, 31% of them in the ICU.

The number of hospitalizations has been lower in recent days and this is not due to any known reporting issues, Ferrer asserts. Daily hospitalizations were more than 2,000 patients last week.

“While the missing data is troubling and hinders efforts to monitor and reduce the spread of COVID-19, data sources that track other key indicators, including hospitalizations, are not affected by this reporting issue,” Ferrer said. “Hospitalization data for Los Angeles County still shows a decrease, and we continue to be cautiously optimistic that our efforts over the past few weeks may be starting to slow the spread.”

Test results are available for more than 1,818,000 county residents, with 10% of all people testing positive.

SCV Testing
Appointments may still be available this week at College of the Canyons, 26455 Rockwell Canyon Rd., Santa Clarita 91355, according to Public Health. Visit https://covid19.lacounty.gov/testing/ or https://coronavirus.lacity.org/testing to make an appointment.

California Snapshot
Statewide, as of Monday, August 3, the California Department of Public Health on Tuesday confirmed a total of 519,427 cases (up 4.526), with 9,501 deaths from the disease (up 113). There are 6,302 confirmed hospitalizations and 1,892 ICU hospitalizations in California.

As of Monday, local health departments have reported 24,620 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 130 deaths statewide.

California’s positivity rate – a key indicator of community spread – is trending upward in the 14-day average. Hospitalization rates are also trending upward in the 14-day average.

Numbers may not represent true day-over-day change as reporting of test results can be delayed, and the 7-day average more accurately describes trends in number of cases. The 7-day average number of new cases is 7,554 per day, down from the 7-day average from the week prior, 9,397.

COVID Around the World
Worldwide, more than 18.3 million people have been infected by COVID-19 while 696,389 have died as of 1:34 Tuesday afternoon, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

More than 4,751,853 million Americans have been diagnosed with COVID-19, while the number of people in the U.S. who have died due to the virus has surpassed 156,000.

Santa Clarita Valley Tuesday Update
According to the latest L.A. County Public Health COVID-19 data dashboard update at 8 p.m. Sunday, August 2, of the 48 SCV residents who have died of the virus since the pandemic began, 35 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, 1 in unincorporated Valencia and 2 in communities not yet named.

Of the 4,500 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 2,253

Castaic: 1,862 (includes Pitchess Detention Center and North County Correctional Facility*)

Stevenson Ranch: 121

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 84

Acton: 45

Val Verde: 45

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 35

Agua Dulce: 20

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 15

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 6

Elizabeth Lake: 5

Sand Canyon: 5

Bouquet Canyon: 2

Lake Hughes: 1

Saugus/Canyon Country: 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
Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital reported its 19th and 20th COVID-related deaths on Saturday, August 1, according to Patrick Moody, hospital spokesman. Due to privacy constraints, the hospital does not disclose patients’ cities of residence.

The hospital is now releasing statistics on a weekly basis (Wednesdays) unless there is a drastic change in the number of cases or a COVID-related death has been confirmed.

As of Saturday, of the 5,403 people tested at Henry Mayo to date, 664 tested positive, 5,927 were negative, 177 were pending, 18 patients were hospitalized in a dedicated unit receiving ICU-level care, a total of 191 COVID-19 patients have been discharged so far, with the two additional deceased bringing the total to 20, Moody confirmed.

Discrepancies in the testing numbers are due to some patients being tested multiple times. “Often a single patient is tested more than once,” he said.

More on State Underreporting
The state Department of Public Health has determined there has been underreporting of COVID-19 cases due to technical issues with the electronic laboratory system. L.A. County Public Health learned of these new issues with the state ELR feed on an emergency call convened by the state Monday night.

The issues have resulted in an undercount of the county’s positive cases and affects the number of COVID-19 cases reported each day and our contact tracing efforts.

However, there should not be delays in patients being notified of lab results, as laboratories continue to report tests results directly to providers and hospitals.

L.A. County Public Health has implemented an independent strategy to obtain accurate data and a team from the department is now working urgently to reach out to at least 81 labs to obtain all COVID-19 test results from July 26 to the present to determine the accurate positive case count in Los Angeles County for the time period in question.

Public Health is also implementing a system for all labs to report positive test results to the department immediately so that moving forward the department can have an accurate case count and be assured that contact tracing efforts are not delayed.

Public Health has noted issues with the state electronic lab reporting system for about two weeks. Once the data reporting issues are fixed, the number of cases is expected to increase.

Data sources that track other key indicators, including hospitalizations, are not impacted by this reporting issue.

L.A. County Demographics
Since May, the majority of cases have occurred among people between the ages of 18 and 49 years old. People between the ages of 30 and 49 years old account for the largest proportion of cases and roughly the same proportion of cases as seen since May. Other age groups are flat or decreasing slightly.

Of the 57 new deaths, 19 people who died (excluding Long Beach and Pasadena) were over the age of 80, 21 people who died were between 65 and 79 years old, 12 people who died were between 50 and 64 years old, three people who died were between 30 and 49 years old and one person who died was between 18 and 29 years old.

Countywide, 92% of people who died had underlying health conditions.

Forty-eight people had underlying health conditions including 16 people over the age of 80 years old, 19 people between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, 10 people between the ages of 50 and 64 years old, two people between the ages of 30 and 49 years old, and one person between the ages of 18 and 29 years old. One death was reported by the City of Long Beach.

Upon further investigation, 33 cases and one death reported earlier were not L.A. County residents.

Of those who died, information about race and ethnicity is available for 4,453 people (99 percent of the cases reported by Public Health); 49% of deaths occurred among Latino/Latinx residents, 24% among White residents, 15% among Asian residents, 11% among African American/Black residents, less than 1% among Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander residents and 1% among residents identifying with other races.

Positive Lab Result? Call County Public Health ASAP
Given the current delays, the department urges any person with a positive lab result to call 1-833-540-0473 to connect with a public health specialist who can provide information about services and support.

Residents who do not have COVID-19 should continue to call 211 for resources or more information.

Adequate testing and case investigations are critical tools to contain the spread of COVID-19, but meanwhile, to slow the spread, everyone needs to comply with the directives already in place.

Everyone has to wear a face covering, avoid gathering with people you don’t live with, stay home as much as possible, and practice hand hygiene.

All events and gatherings, unless specifically allowed by Health Officer Orders remain prohibited. When people gather with people outside of their household it increases the risk of COVID-19 spread.

The more individuals interact with others at a gathering and the longer that interaction lasts, the higher the risk of those individuals becoming infected with COVID-19.

Businesses must implement the required infection control protocols and report any COVID-19 outbreaks to Public Health as directed in Health Officer Orders.

L.A. County Public Health’s 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 Public Health Addresses Cases Underreporting
Patient care and test results are not affected or delayed by the newly discovered technical issue, according to state Public Health officials. Public Health laboratories continue to report test results directly to providers and hospitals, and hospitalization and death rates are not impacted as they are reported directly to the state through different systems.

While clinicians are still able to report to local health departments, this issue may impact a local public health department’s ability to receive all lab reports in order to case investigate and contact-trace.

To address this issue, we have taken the following actions:

* Deployed a team from the Department of Technology to assess the underlying code;

* Engaged our local public health officers to ensure they have necessary information;

* Instructed all laboratories in California to manually report all positive cases to the local public health departments.

County Monitoring Data
A total of California 38 counties including Los Angeles and Ventura are required to close indoor operations for certain sectors based on the July 13 order to slow community transmission.

See the complete list of counties here.

California Testing
There have been 8,305,713 tests conducted in California. This represents an increase of 121,017 over the prior 24-hour reporting period.

More than 85 community testing sites offer free, confidential testing: Find a COVID-19 Testing Site.

The CDPH released updated testing guidance on July 23 that focuses on testing hospitalized individuals with signs or symptoms of COVID-19 and people being tested as part of the investigation and management of outbreaks, including contact tracing.

The testing guidance also prioritizes individuals who have COVID-19 symptoms and individuals without symptoms who fall into high-risk categories, including people who live and work in nursing homes, homeless shelters and prisons, healthcare workers, and patients in hospitals.

The new guidance will ensure that Californians who most need tests get them even if there are limited supplies.

California Demographics
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 more than one-and-a-half times their population representation across all adult age categories. For Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, overall numbers are low, but almost double 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.

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 August 4, there have been 29 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 are critical to preventing long-term complications.

Protect Yourself and Your Family
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 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

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.

It’s important if someone thinks they could be positive for COVID-19 and are awaiting testing results to stay at home and act as if they are positive. This means self-isolating for 10 days and 72 hours after symptoms and fever subside.

If a person tests positive for COVID-19, they should plan on receiving a call from a public health specialist 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.

California COVID-19 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.

* 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)

Consolidated guidance is available on the California Department of Public Health’s Guidance webpage.

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Always check with trusted sources for the latest accurate information about novel coronavirus (COVID-19):

* Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

* California Department of Public Health

* Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

* Spanish

* World Health Organization

* Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 Dashboard

L.A. County residents can also call 2-1-1.

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