After seeing a spike in coronavirus cases in Val Verde over the last couple of days, L.A. County Department of Public Health officials have corrected the numbers, bringing the total from 99 back down to 23.
This comes after a number of cases associated with the Pitchess Detention Center, which has been undergoing mass COVID-19 testing, were geocoded to Val Verde rather than Castaic by mistake, Public Health officials said Thursday.
In addition, Public Health officials also reported an additional death in the Santa Clarita Valley, bringing the total number of COVID-19-related deaths in the SCV to 25.
In Castaic, at least 51 of the cases reported in the communities surrounding the jail are not the result of the Pitchess outbreak, Public Health officials confirmed Wednesday, though the extra 76 cases from Val Verde were added to Castaic’s totals.
Based on the current numbers released by the Public Health, the total number of cases at Pitchess Detention Center, including the North County Correctional Facility, now accounts for more than 60% of all the cases attributed to the SCV.
While Pitchess Detention Center has 1,792 inmates who have tested positive for COVID-19, according to Public Health’s latest figures, some of those cases have not yet been included in Castaic’s total due to reporting delays. County officials have yet to clarify how many.
In the Santa Clarita Valley, including cases reported at Pitchess Detention Center, 162 new COVID-19 cases were reported in the last 24 hours, 146 of which came from Castaic, bringing the total to at least 2,650.
Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital officials released their latest figures Tuesday, reporting a total of 2,045 patients had been tested — many of whom have been tested more than once — with 234 tests returning positive, 2,013 negative and 60 still pending, according to spokesman Patrick Moody. Three people remained in the hospital and 91 have recovered and been discharged.
Countywide, Public Health announced an additional 1,857 COVID-19 cases, which is the second-highest one-day spike in cases, though 600 of these cases are from a backlog of test results. This brings the total number of cases to 68,875 in L.A. County.
In addition, Public Health reported 46 new deaths, bringing the total number of COVID-19-related deaths to 2,813 countywide.
Of those who died: 32 were over the age of 65, 27 of whom had underlying health conditions; 13 were between the ages of 41-65, 12 of whom had underlying health conditions; and one who was between the ages of 18-40 and had underlying health conditions.
A modified health officer order and directives is set to be issued Thursday and go into effect Friday, allowing for the reopening of additional businesses, such as gyms, sports without audiences, day camps, museums, campgrounds, film production and hotels, among others.
Public Health reported Thursday the number of SCV cases, including all area health care providers’ daily figures and Pitchess Detention Center, totaled 2,650, which, broken down by region, is as follows:
City of Santa Clarita: 864
Unincorporated – Acton: 16
Unincorporated – Agua Dulce: 9
Unincorporated – Bouquet Canyon: 1
Unincorporated – Canyon Country: 39
Unincorporated – Castaic: 1,644 (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: 37
Unincorporated – Val Verde: 23
Unincorporated – Valencia: 11
To view all coronavirus-related stories, visit signalscv.com/category/news/coronavirus.
