The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health on Wednesday confirmed 1,275 new cases of COVID-19 and 61 new deaths due to the virus countywide, with a total of 2,491 cases reported in the Santa Clarita Valley since the pandemic began, 136 more than reported Tuesday.

In the SCV, 23 people have died of the virus to date — 18 resided in the city of Santa Clarita, 1 in Acton, 1 in Castaic, 1 in unincorporated Valencia, 1 in unincorporated Bouquet Canyon and 1 in a community not yet named in Public Health records.

Countywide, Public Health has reported 67,064 positive cases of COVID-19 and a total of 2,768 deaths to date. Ninety-three percent of people who died had underlying health conditions.

Statewide, the California Department of Public Health has reported a total of 136,191 confirmed cases and 4,776 deaths from COVID-19. Currently, there are 3,240 confirmed hospitalizations and 1,090 ICU hospitalizations.

As of Tuesday, local health departments have reported 11,374 confirmed positive cases in healthcare workers and 67 deaths statewide.

Santa Clarita Valley Wednesday Update

Of the 2,491 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 850

Castaic: 1,422 (includes Pitchess Detention Center and North County Correctional Facility*)

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 36

Stevenson Ranch: 37

Val Verde: 99

Acton: 16

Agua Dulce: 10

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 11

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 4

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 Monday Update

Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital reported its 11th COVID-related death on Wednesday, June 3, according to hospital spokesman Patrick Moody.

Eleven of the SCV’s 22 fatalities to date have occurred at Henry Mayo.

As of Wednesday, of the 1,824 persons tested at Henry Mayo to date, 227 tested positive, 1,810 were negative, 17 were pending and 8 patients were hospitalized in a dedicated unit receiving ICU-level care. A total of 84 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 (Wednesdays), unless there is a drastic change in the number of cases or a death has been confirmed, Moody said.

L.A. County Demographics

Forty-two people who died were over the age of 65 years old, 13 people who died were between the ages of 41 and 65 years old, and three people who died were between the ages of 18 to 40. Forty-nine people had underlying health conditions including 37 people over the age of 65 years old, nine people between the ages of 41 to 65 years old and three people between the ages of 18 and 40 years old. Three deaths were reported by the city of Long Beach.

Of those who died, information about race and ethnicity is available for 2,569 people (99 percent of the cases reported by Public Health) 41% of deaths occurred among Latino/Latinx residents, 28% among White residents, 17% among Asian residents, 12% among African American residents, 1% among Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander and residents identifying with other races.

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

Public Health continues to track disproportionality in health outcomes by race, ethnicity and income level data of people who have been tested, hospitalized and died from COVID-19.

African Americans, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders, and people living in communities with high levels of poverty continue to have the highest rate of death per 100,000 people for COVID-19 when compared to other groups.

Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders have a death rate of 30 per 100,000, African Americans have a death of 31 per 100,000, Latinos/Latinxs have a death of 29 per 100,000, Asians have a death rate of 21 per 100,000, and Whites have a death rate of 15 per 100,000.

People who live in areas with high rates of poverty have almost four times the rate of deaths for COVID-19 with 51 per 100,000 people, compared with communities with very low poverty levels who had a death rate of 13 per 100,000.

Public Health continues collaboration with community, healthcare, and philanthropic partners to improve testing, connection to care and services, and in-language and culturally appropriate communications to the communities experiencing these inequitable outcomes.

L.A. County Testing

As of Wednesday, 7,097 people who tested positive for COVID-19 (11% of positive cases) have been hospitalized at some point during their illness. There are 1,458 people who are currently hospitalized, 29% of these people are in the ICU and 20% are on ventilators. Testing capacity continues to increase in L.A. County, with testing results available for more than 732,000 individuals and 8% of people testing positive.

June 12 — Modified Health Officer Order

A modified Health Officer Order and directives for the reopening of additional businesses will be issued Thursday with an effective date of June 12. The Health Officer order will allow 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 will need to wear a cloth face covering when around other people and practice physical distancing of at least 6 feet at all times. It is so important for everyone to follow the directives and to do their part every day to keep everyone as safe as possible.

“To the many families who are experiencing the profound grief of losing a loved one to COVID-19, we are so sorry, and we wish you healing and peace during this very sad time,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health.

“As more spaces reopen, it is so important for all of us – businesses and residents – to follow directives and to do our part to keep everyone as safe as possible,” Ferre said. “This is crucial if we are to reopen without creating huge increases in cases, hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19. These actions save lives.”

Healthcare Workers Testing

With support from Public Health, the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services and the City of Los Angeles, 272 skilled nursing facilities have tested all residents and staff, and an additional 43 are scheduled for testing. This will complete initial testing at all 315 skilled nursing facilities in L.A. County, not including Long Beach and Pasadena.

Of the more than 25,000 people tested among both residents and staff, 7% tested positive for COVID-19 and 83% of the people testing positive were asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic. Public Health continues to assist skilled nursing facilities complete testing, conduct on-site inspections, provide guidance on the use of personal protective equipment and reinforce how to communicate with employees, residents, family members, and other key partners.

14-Day Self-Quarantine if in Crowded Settings

If anyone has been in a crowded setting, where people are congregating who are not using face coverings or distancing, or if you had close contact (within 6 feet for greater than 15 minutes) with non-household members who were not wearing face coverings please consider the following:

* Remain in your residence, away from others, in quarantine for 14 days.

* If you live with persons who are elderly or have high risk conditions, you should also maintain a six-foot distance and wear a face covering when you are with them at home, avoid preparing food for others, sharing utensils, bedding and towels, and increase cleaning and disinfecting of common surfaces.

* Consider getting tested for COVID-19 if you have been exposed to someone that is positive or likely positive. Testing negative for COVID-19 right after being exposed does not mean you can’t become infected later during the incubation period.

* If anyone was possibly exposed to someone with COVID-19, and the test result is negative, they should remain at home for 14 days to prevent spreading illness to others.

For more information on how to get tested, visit covid19.lacounty.gov/testing.

Best Protections

Because COVID-19 is still relatively easy to transmit and continues to cause serious illness and death, everyone should always wear a face covering securely over their nose and mouth and keep six feet apart from others not in their household when out and about.

Businesses must continue to implement their physical distancing and infection control protocols that protect both employees and customers.

If anyone has been in a crowded setting, where people are congregating who are not using face coverings or distancing, or if you had close contact (within 6 feet for greater than 15 minutes) with non-household members who were not wearing face coverings please consider the following:

* If you live with persons who are elderly or have high-risk conditions, you should also maintain a six-foot distance and wear a face covering when you are with them at home, avoid preparing food for others, sharing utensils, bedding and towels, and increase cleaning and disinfecting of common surfaces.

* Consider getting tested for COVID-19 if you have been exposed to someone that is positive or likely positive.

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.

The L.A. County Safer at Work and in the Community Health Officer Order, 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 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 about double their population representation across all adult age categories.

For Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, overall numbers are low, but there is nearly a four-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.

Testing in California

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.

UPDATE — As of June 9, there have been 2,431,190 tests conducted in California and reported to the CDPH, an increase of 68,972 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.

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

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.

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.

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