Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital officials confirmed six additional coronavirus COVID-19 cases Monday afternoon, raising the total tally to at least 48 in the Santa Clarita Valley.
Over the weekend, only three of those positive cases were hospitalized, but by Monday, a total of seven patients were at Henry Mayo, according to hospital spokesman Patrick Moody.
Henry Mayo has administered 209 tests so far and 142 returned negative, while 44 tests were still outstanding, Moody added.
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health officials reported an additional 342 COVID-19 cases Monday afternoon across the county, which brought the total of confirmed cases to 2,474.
Seven new deaths were also announced, a tally that now reached 44 total deaths. Six of those deaths occurred among residents who were residing in nursing homes, according to Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer during a live Facebook broadcast.
An estimated 80% of all positive cases occur in people between the ages of 18 and 65 and 46% were over the age of 65.
Ferrer reminded the public that testing capacities remain limited and the wait for testing results can last five to six days.
“Therefore, it’s critical that we remain vigilant about who needs to be tested and that you work with your provider if you think that testing is appropriate,” she said. “If you’re not experiencing any symptoms, the best thing you can do is stay home. And if you must go out, to get some essential services, please practice social distancing measures or staying 6 feet away from people at all times.”
Public Health officials also announced they’re working on making about 2,000 medical sheltering beds available for those who must self-isolate but are unable to do so in their own homes. Medical sheltering has been set up at approximately eight locations across the county including in Lancaster, Van Nuys and downtown Los Angeles.
As of noon Monday, the county reported that 2,474 COVID-19 cases had been confirmed and there were 44 deaths. The city of Santa Clarita had a total of 41 confirmed cases — three more from Sunday’s total — and Castaic has three, per Public Health.
The numbers are as follows, according to Public Health Monday:
- City of Santa Clarita: 41
- Unincorporated – Castaic: 3
- Unincorporated – Acton: 0
- Unincorporated – Agua Dulce: 0
- Unincorporated – Canyon Country: “–”
- Unincorporated – Lake Hughes: 0
- Unincorporated – Newhall: 0
- Unincorporated – Placerita Canyon: 0
- Unincorporated – Sand Canyon: 0
- Unincorporated – Saugus: 0
- Unincorporated – Saugus/Canyon Country: 0
- Unincorporated – Stevenson Ranch: “–”
- Unincorporated – Val Verde: 0
- Unincorporated – Valencia: “–”
Anywhere there is a “ – ” means they could have between one and four cases, according to county DPH officials.
“This is done to protect patient privacy,” Bernard Tolliver, a Public Health spokesman, said in a previous Signal interview. “Once these locations have five or greater cases then that will be included. Locations that have zero will say ‘zero.’”
For all local coronavirus-related stories, visit signalscv.com/2020/03/covid-19-coverage-summary.
