L.A. County nears 65K COVID-19 cases

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L.A. County Public Health Department officials announced 823 additional coronavirus cases Monday, bringing the countywide total to 64,644.

“I want to note that typically on Mondays, our death and our case counts are lower because of a lag in reporting from the weekend,” said Barbara Ferrer, director of Public Health. 

In addition, Public Health reported 10 new deaths related to COVID-19, bringing the total to 2,655 in L.A. County. 

Of those who died, six were over the age of 65, three of whom had underlying health conditions; three people who died were between the ages of 41-65, two of whom had underlying health conditions. One death was reported by the city of Pasadena, which has its own public health department. 

“Ninety-three percent of the people who have passed away from COVID-19 have had underlying health conditions, and this number has stayed consistent throughout the pandemic,” Ferrer added. “So, if you’re a person with an underlying health condition, this is a reminder that we do ask that you stay home as much as possible, even during our recovery journey.”

Over the weekend, the number of coronavirus cases in the Santa Clarita Valley, including cases from an outbreak at Pitchess Detention Center, continued to rise, as 200 new cases were reported, with only 25 additional cases reported Monday, bringing the SCV total to at least 2,225.

As of Monday, Castaic had a total of 1,239 confirmed cases, which is largely due to the inclusion of the numbers from an outbreak at Pitchess Detention Center, which had 1,755 confirmed cases, according to Public Health’s latest figures. 

County officials say the discrepancy between the number of Pitchess cases and the number of Castaic cases has to do with delays in the reporting process from the Sheriff’s Department to the Public Health Department. As the reporting progresses, Pitchess cases are expected to be added to the Castaic total. 

As of Monday, 6,923 people countywide tested positive for COVID-19, or 11% of all positive cases, have been hospitalized at some point during their illness, according to Ferrer. There are currently 1,399 people who are hospitalized, 30% of whom are in the ICU and 21% on ventilators, Ferrer added.

County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who represents the 5th District, which includes the SCV, also addressed guidance the county had received Friday for reopening several key sectors as early as Friday, including schools, museums and camping.

“The county is actively reviewing the guidelines in the state to determine how these organizations can reopen with necessary safeguards and with the precautions in place,” Barger said. “An announcement will be made prior to Friday regarding which sectors can reopen with their final protocols.” 

Within the SCV, an additional death related to COVID-19 was reported on Friday, bringing the total to 22 deaths locally, per Public Health. 

Last Wednesday, Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital officials, who recently transitioned from daily to weekly reports, released their latest figures, reporting a total of 1,824 patients had been tested — many of whom have been tested more than once — with 227 tests returning positive, 1,810 negative and 17 still pending, according to spokesman Patrick Moody. 

A total of eight people remained in the hospital for treatment, and 84 had since recovered and been discharged, while a total of 11 patients have died at the hospital due to COVID-19-related causes, Moody added.

Public Health reported Monday the number of SCV cases, including all area health care providers’ daily figures and Pitchess Detention Center, totaled 2,225, which, broken down by region, is as follows: 

City of Santa Clarita: 846
Unincorporated – Acton: 13
Unincorporated – Agua Dulce: 10
Unincorporated – Bouquet Canyon: 1
Unincorporated – Canyon Country: 36
Unincorporated – Castaic: 1,239 (majority of Castaic cases come from Pitchess Detention Center, exact number unavailable)
Unincorporated – Lake Hughes: 1
Unincorporated – Newhall: 1
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: 36
Unincorporated – Val Verde: 29
Unincorporated – Valencia: 9

To view all coronavirus-related stories, visit signalscv.com/category/news/coronavirus.

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