35 Additional Coronavirus Cases Confirmed In Santa Clarita, 1,901 In L.A. County

Posted by: KHTS Newsroom in Coronavirus, Santa Clarita Latest News, Santa Clarita News August 4, 2020 - 3:11 pm 0 1,351 Views

35 new Santa Clarita coronavirus cases have been confirmed Tuesday, with an additional 1,901 cases being confirmed within Los Angeles County.

The Santa Clarita Valley cumulative total is now 4,429, and the L.A. County total of cumulative coronavirus cases stands at 195,614 as of Tuesday, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LADPH).

The state has determined under-reporting of COVID-19 cases due to technology issues with the electronic laboratory system (ELR).

Public Health learned of new issues with the State ELR feed on an emergency call convened by the State last night.

“This issue has undercounted the County’s positive cases and affects the number of COVID-19 cases reported each day and our contact tracing efforts,” said County Public Health officials. “However, there should not be delays in patients being notified of lab results, as laboratories continue to report tests results directly to providers and hospitals.”

Public Health has noted issues with the State electronic lab reporting system for about two weeks. Once the data reporting issues are fixed, the number of cases is expected to increase, according to the department.

A total of 1,757 people are currently hospitalized due to COVID-19 throughout L.A. County, according to Public Health.

Of those hospitalized, 31 percent of patients are in the intensive care unit (ICU) as of Tuesday, according to the department.

Testing results are available for over 1,818,000 individuals as of Tuesday, with a daily positivity rate of 10 percent, according to public health officials.

57 additional deaths have been reported within the county Tuesday, for a total of 4,758 recorded people who have died due to coronavirus in Los Angeles County since March.

“While the missing data is troubling and hinders efforts to monitor and reduce the spread of COVID-19, data sources that track other key indicators, including hospitalizations, are not affected by this reporting issue,” said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, director of public health. “Hospitalization data for Los Angeles County still shows a decrease, and we continue to be cautiously optimistic that our efforts over the past few weeks may be starting to slow the spread.”

As of Tuesday, a total of 4,429 cumulative cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in the Santa Clarita Valley since testing began in March. These include:

2,253 in the City of Santa Clarita*
84 in the unincorporated areas of Canyon Country
1,862 in Castaic*
15 in the unincorporated areas of Saugus
121 in Stevenson Ranch
35 in the unincorporated areas of Valencia
45 in the unincorporated areas of Val Verde
Six in the unincorporated areas of Newhall
Two in the unincorporated areas of Bouquet Canyon
One in the unincorporated areas of Saugus/Canyon Country
Five in unincorporated Sand Canyon

*As of Monday, Aug. 3, officials had recorded 1,321 cumulative cases among prisoners at the North County Correctional Facility, and 495 at the Peter J. Pitchess Detention Center. Those cases are counted in both the City of Santa Clarita and Castaic totals.

Additionally, 45 cases have been confirmed in nearby Acton as well as 20 in Agua Dulce.

An analysis of available data indicates that as of Tuesday, Aug. 4, approximately 41.0 percent of all cumulative cases in and around the Santa Clarita Valley can be attributed to the inmate population at the North County Correctional Facility and the Pitchess Detention Center.

As of Saturday, August 1, Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital has conducted 5,493 COVID-19 tests. Of those, 664 have tested positive, and 177 tests are still pending with Henry Mayo, according to Patrick Moody, spokesperson for the hospital.

The 19th and 20th COVID-19 related death was reported by the hospital. There are 18 patients in the hospital as of Saturday, while 191 patients have been discharged since the hospital’s first case was reported in March, according to Moody.

A majority of all deaths in the county had underlying health conditions, according to public health, further encouraging those with medical issues to stay home, if possible.

See All Coronavirus Coverage: Coronavirus Coverage – COVID-19 Map