Los Angeles County Department of Public Health officials discussed the impacts COVID-19 has had on those with underlying conditions Monday while providing updates on the county’s COVID-19 figures.
“We estimated that as many as 20-30% of L.A. County residents have a serious underlying health condition that puts them at risk of illness for COVID-19,” Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said. “The data we have shows that 92% of the people who have passed away from COVID-19 had an underlying health condition. As we’re out in our day-to-day lives, it’s impossible to know exactly who has an underlying health condition, but it is likely that it’s someone we know, or we’re close to, that’s at risk.”
Hypertension and diabetes are the most common underlying health conditions among people in L.A. County who have died from COVID-19, Ferrer added.
Other identified risks include asthma, high cholesterol and obesity, along with smoking, especially for those between the ages of 18 and 49.
“Recent studies have shown that people who smoke are two to four times more likely to get really sick,” Ferrer said, “and by this I mean you’re admitted to an ICU, you need mechanical ventilation or you can pass away when compared to those who did not smoke.”
Ferrer also provided updates on the county’s children with COVID-19, as they continue to monitor multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, or MIS-C, a condition in which different body parts can become inflamed in those exposed or diagnosed with COVID-19. It has affected a number of people 21 and younger.
To date, there have been 38 reported cases of MIS-C in L.A. County, none of which have resulted in death, per Public Health officials.
“We are now three weeks out from the Labor Day holiday, and we have not experienced the surge in cases similar to the increases we saw a few weeks ago after both the Memorial Day and July 4 holidays,” Ferrer added. “While we still may experience increases in cases associated with activities over the Labor Day holiday, we do not predict a similar surge.”
Statewide, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that the state’s positivity rate has also continued to trend downward, with a 2.8% positivity rate over a 14-day period compared to 3.6% just 14 days ago.
Over the weekend, the Santa Clarita Valley saw 52 new COVID-19 cases, with 28 reported Saturday and 24 on Sunday, along with 14 additional cases reported Monday.
Countywide, Public Health also released the following updated COVID-19 statistics Monday:
Countywide COVID-19 cases reported in the past 24 hours: 663
Total COVID-19 cases in L.A. County: 268,455
New deaths related to COVID-19 reported in the past 24 hours: 1
Total COVID-19 deaths in L.A. County: 6,515
Hospitalizations countywide: 689; 34% of whom are in the ICU and 16% on ventilators
Hospitalizations at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital as of Sept. 25: 12, with 255 discharged since the onset of the pandemic
COVID-19 cases reported in the Santa Clarita Valley in the past 24 hours: 14
Total COVID-19 cases in the SCV: 6,107
Total COVID-19 deaths in the SCV: 59
The number of SCV cases, including all area health care providers’ daily figures and those at Pitchess Detention Center, broken down into region, are as follows:
City of Santa Clarita: 3,469
Unincorporated – Acton: 70
Unincorporated – Agua Dulce: 27
Unincorporated – Bouquet Canyon: 8
Unincorporated – Canyon Country: 135
Unincorporated – Castaic: 2,060 (majority of Castaic cases come from Pitchess Detention Center, exact number unavailable)
Unincorporated – Lake Hughes: 4
Unincorporated – Newhall: 9
Unincorporated – Placerita Canyon: 0
Unincorporated – San Francisquito Canyon/Bouquet Canyon: 0
Unincorporated – Sand Canyon: 7
Unincorporated – Saugus: 27
Unincorporated – Saugus/Canyon Country: 2
Unincorporated – Stevenson Ranch: 164
Unincorporated – Val Verde: 78
Unincorporated – Valencia: 47
To view all coronavirus-related stories, visit signalscv.com/category/news/coronavirus.
