SCV sees COVID-19 death for total of 53

As low case numbers continue in L.A. County, Public Health officials say ‘We’re making progress’

Los Angeles County Public Health Department officials announced 13 new deaths related to COVID-19 Monday, at least one of which came from the Santa Clarita Valley, bringing the overall totals to 5,558 and 53, respectively.

Over the weekend, the Santa Clarita Valley saw 45 new COVID-19 cases, with 28 reported on Saturday and 17 on Sunday, along with 16 new cases reported Monday, bringing the local total to 5,194.

On Monday, Public Health also reported 1,198 additional COVID-19 cases countywide, for a total of 232,983 since the start of the pandemic.

“We’re moving forward with improvement on all of our recovery metrics … (which) means thankfully that the work we have all done as a community, and the sacrifices we are making, are working (in) preventing COVID-19 infections, including serious illness and deaths,” L.A. County Health Officer Dr. Muntu Davis said during Public Health’s Monday briefing. “If we can maintain this lower transmission, it means that we could begin to think about schools and more businesses reopening or someday moving their operations back indoors.”

Even so, Davis stressed the importance of learning lessons from the recent past during the pandemic and the spike in cases.

“As we continue our journey of recovery, we must all proceed with caution,” he added. “All of us must own our roles in this recovery. … Together we must all take our role seriously and be diligent. It is everyone’s goal to get to a place where we have a safer reopen, but community transmission rates must continue to decrease if we are to get to this place.”

Of the 13 new deaths reported countywide: nine people were over the age of 80, eight of whom had underlying health conditions; two were between the ages of 65 and 79, one of whom had underlying health conditions; one was between the ages of 50 and 64 and had underlying health conditions; and one was between the ages of 30 and 49 and also had underlying health conditions.

There were 1,219 confirmed cases of COVID-19 hospitalized as of Monday, 32% of whom were in the ICU and 18% were on ventilators. These figures have continued to drop from highs of more than 2,200 admissions last month, decreasing by 45% from the peak in mid-July.

Hospitalizations at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital have also dropped. Two weeks ago, the hospital reported 25 admissions, which dropped to a total of nine last week, and dropped further Wednesday as the hospital reported just seven patients. A total of 226 COVID-19 patients have recovered and been discharged from the hospital.

Henry Mayo also released its latest figures Wednesday, reporting a total of 6,236 patients had been tested since the start of the pandemic — many of whom are tested more than once — with 748 of those testing returning positive, while 7,075 were negative and 22 remain pending, according to hospital spokesman Patrick Moody.

The number of SCV cases, including all area health care providers’ daily figures and those at Pitchess Detention Center, totaled 5,194 Monday, broken down into region as follows:

▪ City of Santa Clarita: 2,820

▪ Unincorporated — Acton: 58

▪ Unincorporated — Agua Dulce: 24

▪ Unincorporated — Bouquet Canyon: 6

▪ Unincorporated — Canyon Country: 112

▪ Unincorporated — Castaic: 1,890 (majority of Castaic cases come from Pitchess Detention Center; exact number unavailable)

▪ Unincorporated — Lake Hughes: 2

▪ Unincorporated — Newhall: 6

▪ Unincorporated — Placerita Canyon: 0

▪ Unincorporated — San Francisquito Canyon/ Bouquet Canyon: 0

▪ Unincorporated — Sand Canyon: 5

▪ Unincorporated — Saugus: 26

▪ Unincorporated — Saugus/Canyon Country: 1

▪ Unincorporated — Stevenson Ranch: 145

▪ Unincorporated — Val Verde: 59

▪ Unincorporated — Valencia: 40