SCVNews.com | Tuesday COVID-19 Roundup: County Surpasses 9,000 Deaths; 14,391 Total SCV Cases

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has tragically surpassed 9,000 confirmed COVID-19 deaths. L.A. County has experienced more than 1,000 COVID-19 deaths in just two weeks; on Dec. 8, the County reported 8,000 deaths. This is an average of nearly 73 COVID-19 deaths per day over the past two weeks.

To date, Public Health identified 647,542 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County, including 14,391 total cases in the Santa Clarita Valley, and a total of 9,016 deaths countywide. Public Health confirmed Tuesday 88 new deaths and 12,954 new cases of COVID-19.

There are 5,866 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 20% of these people are in the ICU. The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 today is again a new high. Today’s daily hospitalization count has increased more than 2,700 daily patients from two weeks ago, when the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 was 3,113.

Testing results are available for more than 4,425,000 individuals with 14% of people testing positive.

The University of Southern California’s Center for Social and Economic Research continues to conduct a weekly representative survey with L.A. County residents about their actions through the pandemic. As cases continue to surge, nearly 80% of survey respondents indicated they visited a grocery store or pharmacy in the past week. Thirty percent of survey respondents indicated they visited a friend, neighbor or relative, and 30% of the respondents indicated they had visitors at their residence.

If the survey is representative of L.A. County residents, more than 3,000,000 residents are not following the safety guidance that directs us to not gather with people outside our immediate household. Being in close physical distance with non-household members, especially when unmasked and not distanced, increases risk and contributes to easy spread of the virus. Many people infected with COVID-19, are asymptomatic and unknowingly spread the disease to others, including to those who have underlying health conditions with increased risk for serious illness and death.

California Tuesday Snapshot
Statewide, the California Department of Public Health confirmed a total of 1,925,007 confirmed, with 22,923 deaths from the disease. There are 17,843 confirmed hospitalizations and 3,755 ICU hospitalizations in California.

Numbers may not represent true day-over-day change as reporting of test results can be delayed.

There were 32,659 newly recorded confirmed cases Monday.

The 7-day positivity rate is 13.1% and the 14-day positivity rate is 12.2%.

There have been 30,190,182 tests conducted in California. This represents an increase of 329,778 over the prior 24-hour reporting period.

As case numbers continue to rise in California, the total number of individuals who will have serious outcomes will also increase.

Health Care Worker Infection Rates
As of Dec. 21, local health departments have reported 64,502 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 243 deaths statewide.

Santa Clarita Valley Tuesday Update
As of 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, the L.A. County Public Health dashboard, recorded 102 deaths among Santa Clarita Valley residents since the pandemic began.

Of the 102 SCV residents who have died, 85 lived in Santa Clarita, 5 in Castaic, 5 in Stevenson Ranch, 3 in Acton, 2 in unincorporated Canyon Country, 1 in unincorporated Bouquet Canyon, 1 in Val Verde.

Of the 14,391 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 9,919

Castaic: 2,745 (includes Pitchess Detention Center and North County Correctional Facility*)

Stevenson Ranch: 508

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 417

Acton: 222

Val Verde: 155

Agua Dulce: 108

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 95

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 67

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 51

Elizabeth Lake: 30

Lake Hughes: 19

Bouquet Canyon: 22

Saugus/Canyon Country: 21

Sand Canyon: 8

San Francisquito/Bouquet Canyon: 4

*Note: The county is unable to break out separate numbers for Castaic and PDC/NCCF because the county uses geotagging software that cannot be changed at this time, according to officials. Click here for the LASD COVID-19 dashboard.

Henry Mayo Tuesday Update
Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital reported its 58th and 59th COVID-caused deaths on Monday, spokesman Patrick Moody said.

In the month of November, 8 COVID-19 patients died at Henry Mayo. In December, 23 people have died at the hospital.

As of Monday, of the 14,407 people tested for COVID-19 at Henry Mayo to date, 2,059 tested positive, 17,275 were negative, 2 were pending, 84 patients were hospitalized in a dedicated unit receiving ICU-level care (an increase of five since Friday), and a total of 563 COVID-19 patients have been treated and discharged so far, Moody said.

Discrepancies in the testing numbers at the hospital are due to some patients being tested multiple times.

Henry Mayo releases complete statistics weekly, usually on Wednesdays, unless a new death occurs, Moody said.

Privacy laws prohibit the hospital from releasing the community of residence for patients who die there; that info is reported by the L.A. County Public Health COVID-19 dashboard, which is generally 48 hours behind.

L.A. County

Of the 88 new deaths reported Tuesday, 31 people that passed away were over the age of 80 years old, 31 people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, 17 people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64 years old and five people who died were between the ages of 30 and 49 years old. Sixty-one people who died had underlying health conditions including 20 people over the age of 80 years old, 24 people between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, 14 people between the ages of 50 and 64 years old and three people between the ages of 30 and 49 years old. Four deaths were reported by the city of Long Beach.

“To the families that are grieving the loss of a loved one to COVID-19, we send you our deepest sympathies and keep you in our thoughts every day,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “Unfortunately, today marks another tragic milestone as we acknowledge and grieve the more than 9,000 residents that have passed away from COVID-19. Our actions have an impact on the health and well-being of many people in our county, and not following the public health rules has deadly consequences. The virus has spread across the entire county and everyone, employers and residents, need to be extra vigilant in their precautions to protect themselves and others. This is not the time to crowd at stores, to attend parties and gatherings, or to travel. If every person can find it in themselves to celebrate the meaning of the holidays by protecting each other from the virus, we have a chance to stop the surge.”

Compliance with public health safety measures is essential to preserve our healthcare system and save lives. Because COVID-19 spreads from person to person through respiratory droplets, face coverings combined with frequent hand-washing and physical distancing provide the best protection if you need to leave your home. Individuals with underlying health conditions and those that are older should remain in their home and not be around others unless seeking essential health and dental care. If you are having difficulty breathing, go to an emergency room or call 911. If you are positive for COVID-19 and need help figuring out how to best stay away from others for the 10 days, please answer our call when Public Health contacts you, or call us at 833-540-0473.

If you have symptoms or concerns you were exposed, get tested for COVID-19 and isolate immediately from your family and others if you have symptoms or test positive for COVID-19. If you are having difficulty breathing, go to an emergency room or call 911. The Reopening Protocols, COVID-19 Surveillance Interactive Dashboard, Roadmap to Recovery, Recovery Dashboard, and additional things you can do to protect yourself, your family and your community are on the Public Health website, www.publichealth.lacounty.gov.

California Tuesday

Building on California’s efforts to protect health care system capacity during the continuing surge of COVID-19 cases requiring hospitalization, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) announced Tuesday the extension of the Limited Stay at Home Order, keeping in place restrictions on non-essential activities, including non-essential retail, between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. statewide. The Limited Stay at Home Order applies to all counties that are currently under the Regional Stay at Home Order and those in Tier One (Purple) of the Blueprint for a Safer Economy. The Limited Stay at Home Order will expire after the Regional Stay At Home Order has been terminated in all regions of the state.

Based on current ICU data, four regions, San Joaquin Valley, Southern California, Greater Sacramento and the Bay Area are under the Regional Stay at Home Order. Regions must remain under the Regional Stay at Home Order for at least three weeks and will be eligible to exit the order and return to the Blueprint for a Safer Economy only if ICU capacity projections for the following month are above or equal to 15%.

The dates regions will be eligible to exit are:

San Joaquin: Monday, Dec. 28

Southern California: Monday, Dec. 28

Greater Sacramento: Friday, Jan. 1

Bay Area: Friday, Jan. 8

Current available ICU capacity by region:

Bay Area: 13.5%

Greater Sacramento Region: 15.7%

Northern California: 29.5%

San Joaquin Valley: 0.0%

Southern California: 0.0%

See region map. Read the full Regional Stay at Home Order, Supplement to the Order, and frequently asked questions.

Vaccinate All 58
The COVID-19 shipment of the COVID-19 vaccine has arrived in California, and additional shipments will continue to arrive throughout this week. The first doses are being administered to health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities. The state is working closely with community partners and stakeholders to help ensure the vaccine is distributed and administered equitably across California. For more information, visit the CDPH COVID-19 Vaccine webpage and Vaccinate All 58.

Holiday Tips
Reduce your risk this holiday season and help stop the spread of COVID-19. Follow guidance from CDPH and plan safer celebrations. Get Holiday tips at covid19.ca.gov.

Blueprint for a Safer Economy

Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled the Blueprint for a Safer Economy, a statewide plan for reducing COVID-19 and keeping Californians healthy and safe. The plan imposes risk-based criteria on tightening and loosening COVID-19 allowable activities and expands the length of time between changes to assess how any movement affects the trajectory of the disease.

Californians can go to covid19.ca.gov to find out where their county falls and what activities are allowable in each county.

New Testing Turnaround Time Dashboard
The testing turnaround dashboard reports how long California patients are waiting for COVID-19 test results. California has worked to reduce testing turnaround times in recent weeks to help curb the spread of the virus. During the week of Dec. 6 – Dec. 12, the average time patients waited for test results was 1.8 days. During this same time period, 46% of patients received test results in one day and 75% received them within two days. The testing turnaround time dashboard (PDF) is updated weekly.

At this time, all four tiers in the Testing Prioritization Guidance will have equal priority for testing.

Data and Tools
A wide range of data and analysis guides California’s response to COVID-19. The state is making the data and its analytical tools available to researchers, scientists and the public at covid19.ca.gov.

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)
Each week, the California Department of Public Health updates the number of cases of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) reported in the state. As of Dec. 21, 157 cases of MIS-C have been reported statewide. To protect patient confidentiality in counties with fewer than 11 cases, we are not providing total counts at this time.

MIS-C is a rare inflammatory condition associated with COVID-19 that can damage multiple organ systems. MIS-C can require hospitalization and be life threatening. Parents should be aware of the signs and symptoms of MIS-C including fever that does not go away, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, neck pain, rash, bloodshot eyes or feeling tired. Contact your child’s doctor immediately if your child has these symptoms. Early diagnosis and treatment of patients is critical to preventing long-term complications.

New Health Equity Dashboard
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted existing inequities in health that are the result of structural racism and poverty, and the disproportionate prevalence of underlying conditions such as asthma and heart disease among Latinos and African Americans. As part of its commitment to reduce health inequities and ensure the best outcomes for all Californians, the state has launched a Health Equity Dashboard on www.covid19.ca.gov that tracks California’s health equity measure and data by race and ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender identity.

Racial Demographics – A More Complete Picture
The California Department of Public Health is committed to health equity and collecting more detailed racial and ethnic data that will provide additional understanding for determining future action. Health outcomes are affected by forces including structural racism, poverty and the disproportionate prevalence of underlying conditions such as asthma and heart disease among Latinos and African American Californians. Only by looking at the full picture can we understand how to ensure the best outcomes for all Californians.

The differences in health outcomes related to COVID-19 are most stark in COVID-19 deaths. We have nearly complete data on race and ethnicity for COVID-19 deaths, and we are seeing the following trends: Latinos, African Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders are dying at disproportionately higher levels. More males are dying from COVID-19 than females, in line with national trends. More information is available at COVID-19 Race and Ethnicity Data.

Popular links include:

– The Statewide COVID-19 Dashboard

– The California COVID-19 Assessment Tool (CalCAT)

– State Cases and Deaths Associated with COVID-19 by Age Group

– COVID-19 Race & Ethnicity Data

– COVID-19 Hospital Data and Case Statistics

– View additional datasets at the California Open Data Portal (Including: Testing Data, PPE Logistics Data, Hospital Data, Homeless Impact and more)

Your Actions Save Lives
California is experiencing the fastest increase in cases we have seen yet – faster than what we experienced at the outset of the pandemic and this summer. If COVID-19 continues to spread at this rate, it could quickly overwhelm our health care system and lead to catastrophic outcomes. Protect yourself, family, friends and community by following these prevention measures:

– Staying home except for essential needs/activities and following local and state public health guidelines when visiting businesses that are open.

– Following the Limited Stay at Home Order that requires allnon-essential work and activities to stop between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. in counties in the purple tier. The order took effect at 10 p.m. Saturday, November 21, and will remain in effect until 5 a.m. December 21.

– Staying close to home, avoiding non-essential travel, and practicing self-quarantine for 14 days after arrival if you leave the state.

– Keeping gatherings small, short and outdoors and limiting them to those who live in your household.

– Wearing a cloth face mask when out in public.

– Washing hands with soap and water for a minimum of 20 seconds.

– Avoiding touching eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands.

– Covering a cough or sneeze with your sleeve, or disposable tissue. Wash your hands afterward.

– Avoiding close contact with people who are sick.

– Staying away from work, school or other people if you become sick with respiratory symptoms like fever and cough.

– Following guidance from public health officials.

Always check with trusted sources for the latest accurate information about novel coronavirus:

– Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

– California Department of Public Health

– Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

– Spanish

– World Health Organization

L.A. County residents can also call 2-1-1.

What to Do if You Think You’re Sick
Call ahead: If you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 (fever, cough or shortness of breath), call your health care provider before seeking medical care so that appropriate precautions can be taken. More than 85 community testing sites also offer free, confidential testing: Find a COVID-19 Testing Site.

For more information about what Californians can do to prevent the spread of COVID-19, visit Coronavirus (COVID-19) in California.

California continues to issue guidance on preparing and protecting California from COVID-19. Consolidated guidance is available on the California Department of Public Health’s Guidance webpage.