The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed Wednesday 1,155 new cases of COVID-19 and 46 new deaths due to the virus countywide, as Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital reported its 11th COVID-19 fatality.

The person died at Henry Mayo within the last 24 hours, hospital spokesman Patrick Moody said Wednesday afternoon, bringing the Santa Clarita Valley’s total fatalities to 21 since the pandemic began.

Of the people who died, 15 resided in the city of Santa Clarita, 1 in Acton, 1 in Castaic, 1 in unincorporated Valencia and 3 in communities not yet named.

A total of 1,757 cases have been confirmed in the Santa Clarita Valley since the pandemic began, 76 more than reported Tuesday.

Countywide, Public Health has confirmed 58,234 positive cases of COVID-19 and a total of 2,489 deaths as of Wednesday.

Ninety-three percent of people who died in L.A. County had underlying health conditions.

Statewide, California had 117,687 total confirmed cases and 4,361 deaths from COVID-19 as of June 2. There were 3,090 confirmed hospitalizations and 1,079 ICU hospitalizations.

As of June 2, local health departments have reported 10,293 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 63 deaths statewide.

Santa Clarita Valley Wednesday Update
Of the 1,757 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 801

Castaic: 821 (includes Pitchess Detention Center and North County Correctional Facility)*

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 34

Stevenson Ranch: 34

Val Verde: 28

Acton: 11

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 9

Agua Dulce: 9

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 4

Elizabeth Lake: 3

Bouquet Canyon: 1

Lake Hughes: 1

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 1

*Note: The county is not able to break out separate numbers for Castaic and the PDC/NCCF because the county uses geotagging software that is not easy to change, according to county spokesperson Stephanie English.

Henry Mayo Wednesday 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 21 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
Thirty-four people who died were over the age of 65 years old; six people who died were between the ages of 41 and 65 years old, and one person who died was between the ages of 18 and 40 years old. Twelve people were reported to have underlying health conditions including 11 people over the age of 65 years old and one person between the ages of 41 to 65 years old. Five deaths were reported by the City of Long Beach.

Of those who died, information about race and ethnicity is available for 2,301 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 residents and 1% among residents identifying with other races.

Upon further investigation, 39 cases reported earlier were not L.A. County residents.

L.A. County Testing
As of today, 6,680 people who tested positive for COVID-19 (11% of positive cases) have been hospitalized at some point during their illness. There are 1,422 people who are currently hospitalized, 26% of these people are in the ICU and 17% are on ventilators. Testing capacity continues to increase in LA County, with testing results available for nearly 646,000 individuals and 8% of people testing positive.

“L.A. County has suffered a great deal of loss from COVID-19. As a community, we are mourning with the families and friends who have passed away. Our thoughts and prayers are with you every day,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health.

“Because the incubation period for COVID-19 is 14 days, if you think you’ve had a possible exposure to the virus because you’ve been in close proximity for 15 minutes or more with others who are not wearing face-coverings, please consider remaining away from all others for 14 days,” Ferrer said.

“If you have been exposed and have people in your home who are at greater risk of having serious illness from the virus because they are older or have underlying health conditions, it is very important to take all precautions to not expose vulnerable people,” she said. “This includes staying at least 6 feet away and wearing a cloth face covering, even in your residence. If during the 14 days, you develop symptoms, please call your healthcare provider and consider testing.”

Protest Safely
Public Health supports the need for L.A. County residents to stand together against racism and violence and joins the many voices expressing dismay, anger, and frustration at the murder of George Floyd by police.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the risk of widespread transmission, everyone engaging in peaceful protest should always wear a face covering securely over their nose and mouth to protect others and keep six feet apart from people outside their household.

Current Health Officer Order
The current “Safer at Work and in the Community” Health Officer Order allows for in-person dining at restaurants and hair salons to reopen once the establishments are able to implement the required distancing and infection control directives.

The Health Officer Order specifically requires businesses to follow the COVID-19 infection control protocols. Restaurant and hair salon owners and operators must complete and implement these protocols prior to reopening.

Brewpubs, breweries, bars, pubs, craft distilleries, and wineries that do not offer sit-down, dine-in meals are still required to remain closed. Higher-risk businesses remain closed.

Best Protections
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 county’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.

See the L.A. County incident report for June 3, 2020 below:

[Open .pdf in new window]

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.

As of June 2, there have been 2,131,294 tests conducted in California and reported to the California Department of Public Health. This represents an increase of 59,703 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.