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March 29
1928 - Little dam victim, thought unidentified & buried in SCV, actually ID'd & buried in Chatsworth [story]
Newhall Cowboys


The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed Wednesday 31 new deaths and 1,265 new cases of COVID-19 countywide, with a total of 5,892 cases in the SCV.

To date, Public Health has identified 263,333 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 6,423 deaths.

Public Health continues seeing progress in key indicators, including daily hospitalizations and deaths. Public Health remains vigilant in monitoring the metrics that show L.A. County’s progress in slowing the spread of COVID-19 and reducing the disproportionality in highly impacted groups.

There are 779 confirmed cases currently hospitalized and 28% of these people are confirmed cases in the ICU. Daily hospitalizations have declined and have dropped down slightly lower than the numbers seen in early April. The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients has been below 1,000 for most of September and reflects, in part, an overall decrease in transmission of the virus and better treatments that result in shorter lengths of hospital stays.

Deaths have continued to decline since the peak seen two months ago. In late July, the average daily reported deaths was 43, and on September 9, the average daily reported deaths was 20. While deaths continue to decrease, if there is an increase in cases as a result of Labor Day activities, this will likely translate into more hospitalizations and deaths in the coming weeks. We have seen a slight increase in cases recently which we are watching closely, especially since these increases happened after the Labor Day weekend.

The County’s percent test positivity or the percentage of tests that are done that come back positive has fallen significantly from an average of about 8 percent in July to about 3 percent in September. A decreased test positivity rate is often a sign of reduced community transmission.

Data continues to expose disproportionality in COVID-19 health outcomes by race, ethnicity and area-poverty. However, Public Health sees signs gaps are starting to close.

Latino/Latinx residents continue to die at rates higher than other groups and experienced a death rate of 6 deaths per 100,000 people at the peak of transmission in July. This was 4 times higher than the death rate for White residents at 1.4 deaths per 100,000 people. The death rate among Latino/Latinx residents has dropped to 2 deaths per 100,000 people, and the gap has narrowed so that Latino/Latinx are 2 times higher than White residents at 1 death per 100,000 people.

Black residents had a death rate of 4 deaths per 100,000 people during the peak of transmission in July which was over 3 times higher than White residents. Now, the death rate for Black residents is 1 death per 100,000 people, similar to White residents.

Asian residents had a rate that was 2.7 deaths per 100,000 people in mid-July. Now, the mortality rate for Asian residents is 1 death per 100,000 people, similar to White and Black residents.

At the July peak, the mortality rate for people living in communities with the highest levels of poverty was 6.5 deaths per 100,000 people. This was over 3 times higher than that of people who were living in communities with the lowest levels of poverty. As of September 13, the mortality rate among people living in areas with the highest levels of poverty dropped to 3.2 deaths per 100,000 people, which while much lower than the July rates, remains 3 times that of people living in the lowest levels of poverty.

There is still much work to do to close these gaps, and we will continue to work with partners who are addressing the inequitable distribution of resources and opportunities that are essential for optimal health and well-being.

California Wednesday Snapshot
Statewide, the California Department of Public Health confirmed a total of 787,470, with 15,204 deaths from the disease. There are 2,617 confirmed hospitalizations and 783 ICU hospitalizations in California.

Numbers may not represent true day-over-day change as reporting of test results can be delayed.
There were 3,146 newly recorded confirmed cases Tuesday. Numbers do not represent true day-over-day change as these results include cases from prior to yesterday.

The 7-day positivity rate is 2.8% and the 14-day positivity rate is 3.1%.

There have been 13,879,423 tests conducted in California. This represents an increase of 75,368 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.

New Testing Turnaround Time Dashboard
The testing turnaround dashboard reports 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 Sept. 6 – Sept. 12, the average time patients waited for test results was 1.2 days. During this same time period, 69 percent of patients received test results in 1 day and 90 percent received them within two days. The testing turnaround time dashboard (PDF) is updated weekly.

As of Sept. 22, California’s testing capacity and turnaround time have improved. As a result and until further notice, all four tiers in the Testing Prioritization Guidance originally dated July 14, 2020 will have equal priority for testing.

Health Care Worker Infection Rates
As of Sept. 22, local health departments have reported 37,531 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 180 deaths statewide.

Santa Clarita Valley Wednesday Update
As of 5:00 p.m. Wednesday, the L.A. County Public Health COVID-19 data dashboard remains unchanged from Tuesday with 58 COVID-19 deaths in the Santa Clarita Valley. Of those SCV deaths, 47 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 5,892 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 3,374

Castaic: 1,947 (includes Pitchess Detention Center and North County Correctional Facility*)

Stevenson Ranch: 162

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 132

Val Verde: 76

Acton: 70

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 44

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 27

Agua Dulce: 26

Bouquet Canyon: 8

Elizabeth Lake: 7

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 7

Sand Canyon: 7

Lake Hughes: 4

Saugus/Canyon Country: 2

*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
As of Wednesday, of the 8,043 people tested at Henry Mayo to date, 869 tested positive, 9,409 were negative, 21 were pending, 10 patients were hospitalized in a dedicated unit receiving ICU-level care, and a total of 253 COVID-19 patients have been discharged so far, according to hospital spokesman Patrick Moody. COVID-19 fatalities at Henry Mayo stand at 23.

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.

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

L.A. County COVID-19L.A. County

“We are thinking every day of the many people across LA County who have lost a loved one or friend to COVID-19. We are so sorry for your loss.,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “For so many people, COVID-19 has resulted in serious illness and death. These people are our friends, our neighbors, our colleagues and our loved ones. Each of us can commit to doing what we can, using the tools we have, to slow the spread of COVID-19. It saves lives – yours and the other people in our community. I say this often, but it is worth repeating, please remember: Keep physical distance of at least 6 feet and wear a cloth face covering when you are out of your home and around other people. Wash or sanitize your hands often. Get tested if you are having symptoms of COVID-19. Isolate if you have COVID-19. And quarantine if you have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive.”

Of the 31 new deaths reported Wednesday, 10 people that passed away were over the age of 80 years old, 14 people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, six people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64 years old, and one person who died was between the ages of 30 and 49 years old. Twenty-four people who died had underlying health conditions including nine people over the age of 80, 10 people between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, and five people between the ages of 50 and 64 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 6,044 people (99 percent of the cases reported by Public Health); 51% of deaths occurred among Latino/Latinx residents, 23% 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, 65 cases and nine deaths reported earlier were not L.A. County residents.

Testing results are available for nearly 2,576,000 individuals with 9% of all people testing positive. The State updated its guidance on what groups of people are prioritized for testing. As of yesterday, groups previously prioritized for testing are now equally recommended for testing because of the improvements across the state in turnaround time for testing results.

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.

CA COVID-19

California Wednesday

Blueprint for a Safer Economy

Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled the Blueprint for a Safer Economy, a statewide plan for reducing COVID-19 and keeping Californians healthy and safe. The plan 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.

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)

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 Sept. 21, 88 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.

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