SCV nears 800 cases, sees 50-case jump

The number of coronavirus cases in the Santa Clarita Valley, which includes cases from the Pitchess Detention Center in Castaic, has risen by 50 in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to at least 794.

Of those 50 cases, 37 were from Castaic, many of which can be attributed to the spike noted at the jail last week, as Los Angeles County Department of Public Health officials have said that cases are first reported from each congregated setting and can take some time to be added to each area’s total.

As of Monday, Pitchess Detention Center had a total of 13 staff and 21 inmates who are COVID-19 positive, and North County Correctional Facility, the maximum-security jail on PDC’s campus, had four staff members and 166 inmates who were confirmed to have COVID-19. The total number

of cases in the jail is 204.

With the daily news briefing canceled due to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors meeting, Public Health officials announced an additional 961 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 33,180 countywide.

In addition, 45 new deaths related to COVID-19 were reported, bringing the total number of deaths in L.A. County to 1,613, per Public Health.

Thirty-five people who died were over the age of 65, and 32 of them had underlying health conditions, while nine of those who died were between the ages of 41-65, all of whom had underlying health conditions. Information about the final patient was unavailable as it was reported by the city of Long Beach.

Ninety-two percent of people who died had underlying health conditions, a figure that has remained constant in the past weeks.

Unless a death or significant change occurs, Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital officials have said they would be providing their latest figures in regard to COVID-19 on a weekly basis every Wednesday.

The latest numbers from the hospital, which were provided May 6, show that Henry Mayo had administered 897 tests, of which 165 returned positive, 819 were negative and 30 tests were outstanding.

A total of 17 patients were in the hospital for treatment as of last Wednesday, while 55 had been discharged, according to hospital spokesman Patrick Moody.

The hospital has had six deaths related to COVID-19, while the identification and any pertinent patient information for each has been withheld by hospital officials, who cited patient privacy policy.

The number of cases for the SCV reported by Public Health, which includes Henry Mayo and other area health care providers’ daily figures, broken down into region, were as follows as of Tuesday afternoon:

▪ City of Santa Clarita: 507

▪ Unincorporated — Acton: 8

▪ Unincorporated — Agua Dulce: 3

▪ Unincorporated — Bouquet Canyon: 0

▪ Unincorporated — Canyon Country: 28

▪ Unincorporated — Castaic: 209 (includes Pitchess Detention Center)

▪ Unincorporated — Lake Hughes: 0

▪ Unincorporated — Newhall: 0

▪ Unincorporated — Placerita Canyon: 0

▪ Unincorporated — San Francisquito Canyon/Bouquet Canyon: 0

▪ Unincorporated — Sand Canyon: 0

▪ Unincorporated — Saugus: 4

▪ Unincorporated — Saugus/ Canyon Country: 0

▪ Unincorporated — Stevenson Ranch: 24

▪ Unincorporated — Val Verde: 5

▪ Unincorporated — Valencia: 6