The Los Angeles County Public Health Department announced Thursday the number of coronavirus deaths countywide increased by 51 in 24 hours, while 815 new cases were reported.
Of those who died, 42 were over the age of 65, and 32 of them had underlying health conditions, while six people who died were between the ages of 41-65, and three of them had underlying health conditions. One death was someone between the ages of 18-40, and this person also had underlying health conditions, according to Public Health Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer.
“Ninety-two pecent of the people who have died from COVID-19 had underlying health conditions,” Ferrer added. “It’s so important to remember that if you have an underlying health condition, even as we enter into a journey for recovery, you are at serious risk of illness and devastating disease from COVID-19. And, we ask you to continue to do your best to remain at home, avoid close contact with others as much as possible and as soon as you begin to feel sick to please call your provider.”
The total number of confirmed cases in the Santa Clarita Valley reached at least 671 Thursday, with 31 new cases in the last 24 hours, 13 of which came from Val Verde, 12 from Santa Clarita, three from Castaic and one each from Agua Dulce, Saugus and Stevenson Ranch, according to data released by Public Health.
The Val Verde number is most likely inflated, however, as the Public Health Department’s Val Verde numbers have been including cases from the Pitchess Detention Center, which is in Castaic. As of Thursday afternoon, county officials had not yet answered questions about how many of those new cases were related to the jail in Castaic versus the Val Verde community, which is several miles away from the jail.
In L.A. County, the total number of confirmed cases rose to 29,427, and the death toll countywide was at 1,418 after Public Health’s Thursday update.
Of the more than 200,000 COVID-19 test results that have been reported to Public Health, 12% of people tested were positive, while 5,238, or 19%, of those positive test results have, at some point during their illness, been hospitalized, Ferrer said.
Ferrer also touched on the reopening on some businesses starting Friday.
“Yesterday, we did announce our plans for the gradual reopening of businesses and services across L.A. County,” she said. “As we begin this journey of recovery, some of us will be going back to work, and some of us will just be out and around more people, but that doesn’t mean that we’re now living in a post-COVID-19 world. As we’re around one another more, it’s a good idea to act as anyone could be infected with COVID-19 and that you too could be infected at any point in time.”
After reporting an additional death at the hospital two days in a row, Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital officials reported no new deaths Thursday, keeping the total number of COVID-19-related deaths at six at the hospital.
Recently, hospital spokesman Patrick Moody announced that the hospital would no longer be providing daily updates on specific numbers, due to the relatively stable numbers of patients hospitalized there.
Instead, the hospital will be providing weekly updates on its individual numbers Wednesdays, unless there is a spike or major change, Moody added.
Wednesday’s update found that a total of 17 patients are in the hospital for treatment, while 55 have been discharged, per Moody.
The number of cases for the SCV, broken down into region and including both Henry Mayo’s and other area health care providers’ newest figures, were as follows, according to Public Health’s numbers as of Thursday:
City of Santa Clarita: 462
Unincorporated – Acton: 8
Unincorporated – Agua Dulce: 2
Unincorporated – Bouquet Canyon: 0
Unincorporated – Canyon Country: 27
Unincorporated – Castaic: 25
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: 20
Unincorporated – Val Verde: 118 (includes Pitchess Detention Center in Castaic)
Unincorporated – Valencia: 5
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