The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health on Wednesday confirmed 61 new deaths and 671 new cases of COVID-19, including 18 new cases in the Santa Clarita Valley, bringing the SCV total to 5,556 confirmed cases and 54 deaths since the pandemic began.

The SCV death toll was previously 55 but Public Health has revised Castaic’s number from 4 to 3 since the last update.

The high number of new deaths are from a backlog of reports received from over the weekend, and the low number of new cases reflects reduced testing due to the excessive heat, Public Health reports.

To date, the agency has identified 249,859 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County, and a total of 6,090 deaths.

There are currently 936 people hospitalized with confirmed COVID-19 cases, 33% of them in the ICU and 18% on ventilators.

Test results are available for more than 2,393,000 individuals with 10% of all people testing positive.

“Our hearts go out to everyone who has lost a friend or a loved one to COVID-19. We wish you healing and peace,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, director of the L.A. County Department of Public Health.

California Wednesday Snapshot

Statewide, as of Tuesday, September 8, the California Department of Public Health confirmed a total of 739,527 COVID-19 cases (up 1,616), with 13,841 deaths from the disease (up 83).

There are 3,354 confirmed hospitalizations and 1,120 ICU hospitalizations in the state, continuing a downward trend.

California’s 7-day positivity rate is 3.6% and the 14-day positivity rate is 4.0%, also continuing a downward trend.

As of September 8, local health departments have reported 34,318 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 164 deaths statewide.

Numbers do not represent true day-over-day change as these results include cases from prior to yesterday.

COVID Around the World: USA No. 1 in Cases and Deaths; India No. 2 in Cases
Worldwide, 27,695,130 people have been infected by COVID-19 while 900,079 people have died as of 3:29 Wednesday afternoon, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

Since the pandemic began, more than 6,356,310 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 190,649.

The United States has the world’s highest numbers of cases and deaths. By comparison, India, which surged past Brazil to take the No. 2 spot in cases over Labor Day Weekend, had confirmed 4,370,128 million cases and 73,890 deaths as of Wednesday afternoon. Brazil still has the second-highest death toll at 127,464.

Santa Clarita Valley Wednesday Update

As of the latest update at 8 p.m. Monday, September 7, the L.A. County Public Health COVID-19 data dashboard confirmed 54 SCV residents have died of the virus since the pandemic began.

Of the people who died, 44 lived in the city of Santa Clarita, 3 in Castaic (revised from 4), 2 in Acton, 2 in Stevenson Ranch, 1 in unincorporated Bouquet Canyon, 1 in Val Verde, 1 in unincorporated Valencia.

Of the 5,556 cases reported to Public Health among SCV residents to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 3,120

Castaic: 1,913 (most from Pitchess Detention Center and North County Correctional Facility*)

Stevenson Ranch: 155

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 118

Acton: 65

Val Verde: 65

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 41

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 27

Agua Dulce: 25

Bouquet Canyon: 6

Elizabeth Lake: 6

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 6

Sand Canyon: 6

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 Wednesday Update

Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital on Monday, August 31 reported its 22nd death since the pandemic began, according to hospital spokesman Patrick Moody.

Henry Mayo now releases statistics weekly, on Wednesdays, unless there is a drastic change in the number of cases or a COVID-related death has been confirmed.

As of Wednesday, September 9, of the 7,309 people tested at Henry Mayo to date, 817 tested positive, 8,332 were negative, 15 were pending, 12 patients were hospitalized in a dedicated unit receiving ICU-level care (two more than the previous Wednesday), and a total of 234 COVID-19 patients have been discharged so far. COVID-19 fatalities at Henry Mayo stand at 22, Moody said.

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.

Labor Day Weekend: Assessing Impact

Public Health is carefully monitoring data over the next couple of weeks to see the impact of the holiday weekend on the transmission of the virus across county communities and recommends testing for individuals possibly exposed to COVID-19.

If you were potentially exposed to COVID-19 over the holiday weekend, you are encouraged to get tested.

For example, if you were in a crowded area this weekend and people were not wearing cloth face coverings, you should get tested. If you were around someone who was feeling sick, you should get tested. And if you were with someone who has tested positive for the virus, even if they never felt sick, you should get tested.

Testing sites are open and appointments are available.

Just over two weeks after Independence Day, the county experienced increases in cases, hospitalizations and deaths. For example, the 7-day average of daily reported COVID-19 cases around July 4 was about 2,200 cases per day, but two weeks later the number of new cases increased to more than 3,100.

In July, the county saw the steepest increases in hospitalizations, where the average was more than 2,100 hospitalizations per day; the most significant peaks were two to three weeks after the July 4 holiday.

This past month, however, daily hospitalizations have dropped back to an average of fewer than 1,000 hospitalizations a day, similar to the numbers in early April.

The 7-day average of daily deaths before July 4 was around 30 deaths per day, and tragically, 22 days after the July 4 holiday, the number of deaths climbed up to 44 deaths per day.

“We have made tremendous progress as a county since mid-July in bringing down our community transmission rates and preventing a catastrophic level of demand on our health care system,” Ferrer said.

“We have been successful, in large part, because people have been following what we know are the best public health practices we have,” she said. “We have avoided gatherings and moved many services outdoors. Unfortunately, what we’ve learned from the past several months is that we cannot return to normal at this time; we need to maintain our vigilance so that we can continue to suppress the spread of the virus and get to a place when we can safely reopen additional sectors, especially schools.”

Last week L.A. County officials announced a plan to allow for reopening K-12 schools for in-person special services for high-need students. This includes students with individualized education plans and English-language learners, as well as other students who may need assessments and support that cannot be provided through virtual learning.

In order to reopen for special services, Public Health asks schools to send a notification form to the department. The form is available on our website as a fillable PDF and asks for basic information – the name of the school, the anticipated number of students and staff expected by grade, and a point of contact at the school.

The form also requires the school to attest to having adequate PPE in compliance with county and state guidance, a plan or protocol in place for testing and outbreak management, and that they will adhere to the school protocols.

Halloween and Year-End Holidays

As fall and winter approaches, Public Health asks everyone to begin to think ahead about how you will navigate the fall and winter carefully. This includes the upcoming Halloween holiday.

For this year, it is simply not safe to celebrate in the usual ways. Gatherings, events, parties, carnivals, festivals, haunted house attractions, are already prohibited under the Health Officer Order.

While Public Health’s initial guidance released Tuesday prohibited door-to-door and car-to-car trick or treating, on Wednesday, Ferrer modified the prohibition to recommend people not trick or treat.

The county offers other ways to celebrate that are safe for children and families, including hosting an online party and decorating homes and yards.

There are also some Halloween-related activities that are safer, including car parades and drive-in movie nights. Detailed guidance can be found online at www.publichealth.lacounty.gov.

L.A. County Demographics: Age

Of the 61 new deaths reported today (excluding Long Beach and Pasadena), 22 people that passed away were over the age of 80, 13 people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, 23 people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64 years old, and three people who died were between the ages of 30 and 49 years old.

Forty-six people had underlying health conditions including 15 people over the age of 80 years old, 10 people between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, 19 people between the ages of 50 and 64 years old and two people between the ages of 30 and 49. Ninety-two percent of the people who died from COVID-19 had underlying health conditions.

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

Upon further investigation, 53 cases and seven deaths reported earlier were not L.A. County residents.

Cases by Age Group (Los Angeles County only — excluding Long Beach and Pasadena)

* 0 to 4 3879

* 5 to 11 8424

* 12 to 17 10471

* 18 to 29 58607

* 30 to 49 81198

* 50 to 64 45736

* 65 to 79 18155

* over 80 8557

* Under Investigation 1432

L.A. County Demographics: Race/Ethnicity

Of those who died, information about race and ethnicity is available for 5,728 people (99 percent of the cases reported by Public Health); 51% 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.

Data continue to show African American/Black, Latino/Latinx, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander residents and those in low-income communities continue to have disproportionate health outcomes.

Although these numbers for highly impacted groups are decreasing, as is the case overall in L.A. County, Latino/Latinx residents are three times as likely to die from COVID-19 and African American/Black residents are twice as likely to die from COVID-19 when compared to white residents.

Communities with high levels of poverty are four times as likely to die of COVID-19 when compared to residents with the highest income.

Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders have a rate of hospitalization that is almost five times that of White residents.

Racism and inequitable access to resources have played a significant role in the pandemic, as it does in other areas of health.

This is why a wide range of actions is needed to address the inequities we continue to witness. These include ensuring protections for workers, especially low-wage workers, offering services and support to those needing to isolate and quarantine, making sure testing is widely-available in under-resourced areas, partnering with trusted community organizations for advocacy and information sharing, and addressing discrimination and racism that limits opportunities and resources available for optimal health and well-being.

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 Blueprint for a Safer Economy

Governor Newsom’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy 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.

California Testing

There have been 12,343,797 tests conducted in California, an increase of 75,849 over the prior 24-hour reporting period.

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

New Testing Turnaround Time Dashboard

CDPH has posted a new dashboard reporting 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 August 23 to August 29, the average time patients waited for test results was 1.3 days. During this same time period, 66 percent of patients received test results in 1 day and 88 percent received them within two days.

The testing turnaround time dashboard (PDF) is updated weekly.

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 September 7, there have been 73 cases of MIS-C reported statewide, an increase of 16 over the previous week, and 10 the week before that.

To protect patient confidentiality in counties with fewer than 11 cases, CDPH is 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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