L.A. County Public Health officials on Wednesday confirmed 91 new deaths and 4,825 new cases of COVID-19, with 4,306 cases confirmed to date in the Santa Clarita Valley, and the third death in Castaic, bringing the SCV’s total to 45.

The high number of new deaths in the county are from a backlog of more than 2,000 results received from Thursday through Sunday, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health reported.

There are 2,045 people currently hospitalized with confirmed cases of COVID-19, and 28% of them are in the ICU. There are a total of 2,599 confirmed and suspect cases currently hospitalized; 17% of these people are on ventilators. The hospitalization data is missing data from three hospitals not included in today’s update.

Public Health is reporting one additional case of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C). This brings the total cases of MIS-C in L.A. County to 16 children. Ten of these cases are among girls. The majority of cases (73%) were Latino/Latinx. No children with MIS-C in L.A. County have died.

MIS-C is a condition that has been affecting children under 21 years old across the country who may have been exposed to COVID-19 or had COVID-19. Different body parts can become inflamed, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, or gastrointestinal organs and there can be lifelong health impacts.

To date, Public Health has identified 183,383 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County, and a total of 4,516 deaths. Public Health anticipates continuing to receive a backlog of lab reports in the coming days due to problems with the state electronic lab reporting system.

Testing results are available for nearly 1,683,000 individuals with 10% of all people testing positive.

“To those grieving the loss of a loved one to COVID-19, I send my heartfelt condolences. My heart and blessings also go out to the many people who are suffering with COVID-19 in Los Angeles County,” Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health, said Wednesday.

Statewide, as of Tuesday, the California Department of Public Health on Wednesday confirmed a total of 475,305 cases, with 8,715 deaths from the disease. There are 6,939 confirmed hospitalizations and 2,012 ICU hospitalizations in California.

California’s positivity rate – a key indicator of community spread – is trending upward in the 14-day average. Hospitalization rates are also trending upward in the 14-day average.

Numbers may not represent true day-over-day change as reporting of test results can be delayed, and the 7-day average more accurately describes trends in number of cases. The 7-day average number of new cases is 8,818 per day. The 7-day average from the week prior was 9,420.

Worldwide, more than 16.9 million people have been infected by COVID-19 while 664,748 have died as of Wednesday afternoon, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. More than 4.4 million Americans have been diagnosed with COVID-19, while U.S. deaths caused by the virus surpassed 150,000 Wednesday.

Santa Clarita Valley Wednesday Update
A third Castaic resident has died of COVID-19, according to the L.A. County Public Health COVID-19 data dashboard, updated through Monday at 8 p.m.

Of the 45 SCV residents who have died of the virus since the pandemic began, 35 resided in the city of Santa Clarita, 2 in Acton, 3 in Castaic, 2 in Stevenson Ranch, 1 in unincorporated Bouquet Canyon, 1 in Val Verde and 1 in unincorporated Valencia.

Of the 4,306 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 2,101

Castaic: 1,856 (includes Pitchess Detention Center and North County Correctional Facility*)

Stevenson Ranch: 111

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 76

Val Verde: 42

Acton: 40

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 33

Agua Dulce: 18

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 13

Elizabeth Lake: 5

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 5

Sand Canyon: 3

Bouquet Canyon: 1

Lake Hughes: 1

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 Hospital reported its 17th COVID-related death on Monday, July 27, according to Patrick Moody, hospital spokesman.

The hospital is now releasing statistics on a weekly basis (Wednesdays) unless there is a drastic change in the number of cases or a death has been confirmed.

As of Wednesday, July 29, of the 5,276 people tested at Henry Mayo to date, 651 tested positive, 5,731 were negative, 217 were pending, 31 patients were hospitalized in a dedicated unit receiving ICU-level care (up 3 from a week ago), a total of 176 COVID-19 patients have been discharged so far, and the number of deceased at the hospital stands at 17, 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.

Childcare Vouchers for L.A. County Essential Workers
Public Health is pleased to announce that the Board of Supervisors allocated $15 million in CARES Act funding for childcare vouchers to serve essential workers and low-income families in the county. In partnership with the Los Angeles County Early Childhood Education COVID-19 Response Team, Public Health will support the funding distribution.

The Office for the Advancement of Early Care and Education will contract with the Child Care Alliance, a network of L.A. County Resource and Referral /Alternative Payment agencies, to distribute vouchers. To expedite the process, the funding will be infused into the existing voucher system.

Families seeking early care and education services may access vouchers by calling 888-92-CHILD (888-922-4453). Eligibility for these vouchers is set by the state.

“I know that we’re all eager and anxious to see our lives return to normal,” L.A. County Health Director Barbara Ferrer said. “We want our children to be back at school, seeing their friends and making cherished memories. We have the tools at hand to make this happen. We need compliance with our directives – so please continue to wear a face covering and do not gather with people you don’t live with.”

The governor has allowed local health officers the discretion to grant waivers to school districts and private schools that would permit schools to reopen for in-classroom instruction for students in grades TK through grade 6.

Superintendents must submit school district waiver requests to re-open for approval by the local health officer. The decision to grant a waiver will be based on ensuring that schools are able to open in full adherence with the L.A. County school re-opening protocols, along with reviewing epidemiological data for each school district.

The process requires consultation with the California Department of Public Health prior to accepting or rejecting waiver applications. The application process will be available online and is planned to be launched by the end of the week.

L.A. County Demographics
Since May, the majority of cases have occurred among people between the ages of 18 and 49 years old. People between the ages of 30 and 49 years old account for the largest proportion of cases and roughly the same proportion of cases as seen since May. Other age groups are flat or decreasing slightly.

Of the 91 new deaths reported Wednesday, 31 people who passed away (excluding Long Beach and Pasadena) were over 80 years old, 27 people who died were between 65 and 79 years old, 17 people who died were between 50 and 64 years old, seven people who died were between 30 and 49 years old, and three people who died were between 18 and 29.

Seventy-two people had underlying health conditions including 28 people over 80 years old, 22 people between 65 and 79 years old, 14 people between 50 and 64 years old, six people between 30 and 49 years old, and two between 18 and 29 years old. Five deaths were reported by the city of Long Beach and one death was reported by the city of Pasadena.

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

Upon further investigation, 84 cases and one death reported earlier were not L.A. County residents.

Of those who died, information about race and ethnicity is available for 4,233 people (99 percent of the cases reported by Public Health); 48% of deaths occurred among Latino/Latinx residents, 25% among White residents, 15% among Asian residents, 11% among African American/Black residents, less than 1% among Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander residents and 1% among residents identifying with other races.

Mental Health Access Line
If you’re feeling stressed, depressed or anxious and need to talk with someone, @lacdmh has resources available to help you during these trying times. Call LACDMH’s 24/7 Access Line (800) 854-7771 or Text “LA” to 741741 for mental health support, resources, and referrals.

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.

A total of California 37 counties including Los Angeles and Ventura are required to close indoor operations for certain sectors based on the July 13 order to slow community transmission.

See the complete list of counties here.

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

The California Department of Public Health released updated testing guidance on July 23 that focuses on testing hospitalized individuals with signs or symptoms of COVID-19 and people being tested as part of the investigation and management of outbreaks, including contact tracing.

The testing guidance also prioritizes individuals who have COVID-19 symptoms and individuals without symptoms who fall into high-risk categories, including people who live and work in nursing homes, homeless shelters and prisons, healthcare workers, and patients in hospitals.

The new guidance will ensure that Californians who most need tests get them even if there are limited supplies.

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 July 21, there have been 24 cases of MIS-C reported from seven counties. Los Angeles County has reported the majority of cases (15). Additional cases have been reported from San Diego, Imperial, Kings, Monterey, Orange, and Sacramento counties.

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 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.

* * * * *

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.