The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed Tuesday 64 new deaths and 1,003 new cases of COVID-19, with Santa Clarita Valley surpassing 5,000 cases, as 5,029 SCV residents have tested positive to date.

The number of new cases reported Tuesday is missing lab reports from one of the larger labs which is contributing to the lower number of new cases.

To date, Public Health has identified 224,031 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County, and a total of 5,335 deaths.

Public Health still anticipates receiving backlog cases from the state electronic lab report (ELR). Data sources that track other key indicators, including hospitalizations and deaths, are not affected by this reporting issue.

In the last month, daily hospitalizations have decreased by 37%, from 2,219 in mid-July to 1,388 in mid-August. There are 1,352 confirmed cases currently hospitalized and 32% of these people are confirmed cases in the ICU. The decreasing number of daily hospitalizations is one of the best indicators that our efforts over the last few weeks are working, as it is an accurate representation of how many people are currently seriously ill from the virus.

California Tuesday Snapshot
Statewide, the California Department of Public Health on Tuesday confirmed a total of 632,667, with 11,342 deaths from the disease. There are 5,061 confirmed hospitalizations and 1,606 ICU hospitalizations in California.

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

There were 4,636 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 6.8% and the 14-day positivity rate is 6.5%.

There have been 10,049,039 tests conducted in California. This represents an increase of 115,259 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.

A total of 41 counties are required to close indoor operations for certain sectors based on the July 13 order to slow community transmission.

Health Care Worker Infection Rates
As of August 17, local health departments have reported 28,716 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 142 deaths statewide.

Santa Clarita Valley Tuesday Update
The L.A. County Public Health COVID-19 data dashboard remains unchanged, as of the 5:45 p.m. Tuesday. Of the 51 SCV residents who have died of the virus since the pandemic began, 40 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, and 1 in unincorporated Valencia.

Of the 5,029 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 2,683

Castaic: 1,880 (includes Pitchess Detention Center and North County Correctional Facility*)

Stevenson Ranch: 140

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 105

Acton: 55

Val Verde: 55

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 39

Agua Dulce: 24

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 22

Elizabeth Lake: 6

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 6

Bouquet Canyon: 6

Sand Canyon: 5

Lake Hughes: 2

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
As of Wednesday, Aug. 12, (the last day when the most recent numbers were released) of the 5,893 people tested at Henry Mayo to date, 719 tested positive, 6,654 were negative, 29 were pending, 9 patients were hospitalized in a dedicated unit receiving ICU-level care, and a total of 217 COVID-19 patients have been discharged so far, as fatalities at the hospital stand at 21, Moody confirmed.

Henry Mayo 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.

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

L.A. County

Of the 64 new deaths, 21 people that passed away (excluding Long Beach and Pasadena) were over the age of 80 years old, 24 people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, 13 people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64 years old, and six people who died were between the ages of 30 and 49 years old. Fifty people had underlying health conditions including 20 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 five people between the ages of 30 and 49 years old. Ninety-two 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 5,022 people (99 percent of the cases reported by Public Health); 50% of deaths occurred among Latino/Latinx residents, 24% among White residents, 15% 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, 103 cases and two deaths reported earlier were not L.A. County residents.

Testing results are available for more than 2,103,000 individuals with 10% of all people testing positive.

“Every death of a member of our community is a tragedy, and we have lost more than 5300 community members since the beginning of the pandemic. Please know we join you in mourning their passing,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “As we work together to prevent more illness and death from COVID-19, it is important to note that while testing can help identify people who are infected, testing alone cannot prevent all transmission. Individuals who test positive are capable of infecting others 48 hours before they have any symptoms or a positive test result. The best way to prevent transmission is to take universal precautions – keep six feet apart from others, wear a face covering outside your home, and wash hands often.”

High temperatures have been forecast for many areas throughout L.A. County. Please avoid unnecessary outdoor activity to limit your exposure to unhealthy air and remember to take steps to stay cool and hydrated throughout the day while still practicing physical distancing and avoiding gatherings. As Health Officer Orders remain in effect, Public Health, City and County partners have planned ways to safely operate cooling centers during times of high heat. Adhering to strict infection control and distancing measures, cooling centers are open to provide the public relief from the heat. Residents who do not have access to air conditioning are encouraged to take advantage of these free cooling centers. To find a location near you, visit https://ready.lacounty.gov/heat/ or call 211.

Given past ELR 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.

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
In the past few days, working in partnership with the California Department of Technology (CDT), the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) cleared the data backlog reported last week and has continued processing new case records. Since Friday, we have processed the roughly 300,000 backlogged CalREDIE records, including both negative and positive results.

The issue with the state’s electronic laboratory system that generated the backlog has been addressed and CDPH continues to closely monitor the performance of the system.

CDPH, along with the local public health departments, is processing the backlogged records and attributing cases to the correct reporting dates. As a result, the case counts reported today, and in the next few days, will include cases that would have been reported in earlier days and weeks – and are not an accurate representation of cases reported in the prior 24 hours.

California 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)

County Monitoring Data
Counties on the County Monitoring List for three or more consecutive days – currently 41 counties accounting for the majority of the state’s population – must have closed indoor operations for additional activities. The July 13 order specifies that these indoor operations shall remain closed, even when a county is removed from the county monitoring list, until the state health officer modifies the order and authorizes re-opening. The state is actively reassessing the July 13 order in light of evolving scientific evidence regarding disease transmission and the risk of transmission in different settings and will provide updates in the coming week.

For more information, County Data Monitoring page.

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 Aug. 18, 39 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.