Henry Mayo reports additional death

County continues to report backlog of COVID-19 cases

Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital reported one additional death related to COVID-19 Monday, bringing the total in the Santa Clarita Valley to 44, according to Public Health’s latest figures.

Due to patient privacy policy, the hospital declined to give any information about the newly reported deceased other than to say that the patient died over the weekend, according to hospital spokesman Patrick Moody.

Also over the weekend, the Santa Clarita Valley saw 61 new COVID-19 cases reported, with a total of 30 additional cases reported Monday. Countywide, Los Angeles County Public Health Department officials also announced Monday 2,039 additional COVID-19 cases, along with 17 new deaths, bringing the total to 176,028 and 4,375, respectively.

However, officials warned that the data reported continues to be incomplete, as California’s electronic lab system had backlogged results, and the number of cases is expected to increase in the coming days once that data becomes available.

“It’s been 145 days since the COVID-19 public health emergency was declared in L.A. County, 145 days in which this dangerous new virus has changed all of our lives, upending our daily routines and bringing significant stress to our families and businesses,” Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said. “At the same time, these past 145 days have given us time to learn a lot more about COVID-19, how to coexist with it as we await the development of treatments and vaccines, and how to slow the spread to give our health system a fighting chance of treating those who fall seriously ill.”

That being said, Ferrer stressed the importance of avoiding the three Cs: crowded places, confined spaces and close contact with others that aren’t in your household.

Ferrer then introduced three new Cs:

▪ Compliance: Complying with health officer orders, including wearing face coverings and practicing physical distancing.

▪ Containment: Adequate testing and case investigations, including participating in contact tracing interviews, for which Public Health is now offering $20 gift cards as an incentive to those who do so.

▪ Collaboration: Alignment across all sectors and government jurisdictions on health and economic imperatives to ensure an uninterrupted supply for testing supplies and personal protective equipment, for example.

Since May, the majority of cases have occurred among people between the ages of 1849, while other age groups are flat or decreasing slightly, people between the ages of 30-49 account for the largest proportion of cases and roughly the same proportion of cases as seen since May.

Of those who died in L.A. County in the last 24 hours: seven were over the age of 80, six of whom had underlying health conditions; seven were between the ages of 65-79, six of whom had underlying health conditions; one was between the ages of 50-64 and had underlying health conditions; and two were between the ages of 30-49, one of whom had underlying health conditions.

Public Health also reported 2,017 confirmed COVID-19 cases currently hospitalized, 29% of whom are in the ICU. There are a total of 2,552 suspect cases of COVID-19 that are currently hospitalized, 18% of whom are on ventilators. The hospitalization data reported is again incomplete due to data from five non-reporting hospitals not being part of Monday’s update.

Testing results are available for nearly 1.65 million individuals, with 10% of all people testing positive, an increase in 1% from previously reported figures, per Public Health.

Statewide updates

In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Monday that the growth rate in hospitalizations has begun to decline over the past 14 days.

While California was reporting a 50% increase in hospitalizations over a 14-day period a few weeks ago, at the height of things, along with a 39% increase in ICU admissions, those numbers over the past 14 days are now at 3% and 7%, respectively.

“Hospitalization numbers, as well as ICU admissions, are increasing, but at a more modest pace than we saw two and three weeks ago,” Newsom said. “We’re seeing a growth rate, but we’re seeing a modification, a decline in the rate of growth. It is not where we need to be, but it’s progress, indeed, but more progress needs to be made.”

SCV cases

Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital also released its weekly tallies Monday, which showed that more than 689 tests had been conducted in the past week, totaling 5,171 since the start of the pandemic. Of those, 637 returned positive, 5,585 were negative, and 225 remain pending, according to Moody. A total of 171 people have recovered and been discharged, while 28 remained at the hospital — an increase of five since Wednesday.

The number of SCV cases, including all area health care providers’ daily figures and those at Pitchess Detention Center, totaled 4,184 Monday, broken down into region, are as follows:

▪ City of Santa Clarita: 2001

▪ Unincorporated — Acton: 40

▪ Unincorporated — Agua Dulce: 18

▪ Unincorporated — Bouquet Canyon: 1

▪ Unincorporated — Canyon Country: 75

▪ Unincorporated — Castaic: 1,851 (majority of Castaic cases come from Pitchess Detention Center; exact number unavailable)

▪ Unincorporated — Lake Hughes: 1

▪ Unincorporated — Newhall: 4

▪ Unincorporated — Placerita Canyon: 0

▪ Unincorporated — San Francisquito Canyon/Bouquet Canyon: 0

▪ Unincorporated — Sand Canyon: 3

▪ Unincorporated — Saugus: 12

▪ Unincorporated — Saugus/ Canyon Country: 1

▪ Unincorporated — Stevenson Ranch: 104

▪ Unincorporated — Val

Verde: 41

▪ Unincorporated — Valencia: 32