Los Angeles County coronavirus testing capacity is increasing as the County prepares to move forward with the recovery process, with a reopening goal of July 4. 

Supervisor Hilda Solis highlighted the County’s testing program, which has increased capacity to 20,000 coronavirus tests a day countywide, including a site in Santa Clarita. 

Solis noted COVID-19 cases are higher for people of color, adding the Latinx and black populations in Los Angeles County make up a disproportionate about of COVID-19 cases. 

“The test itself is not painful the test is free and you can be tested even if you don’t have health insurance and importantly all people regardless of immigration status can be tested,” Solis said.

Widespread testing helps inform the County’s strategies on when and how to reopen, according to the supervisor.

Over 358,000 coronavirus tests have been conducted so far as of Tuesday, with 9 percent positive, according to public health officials.

About 87 percent of positive cases have been asymptomatic, which could pose potentially devastating issues for institutional settings such as nursing homes and hospitals, where staff could unknowingly spread the virus, according to Ferrer.

Supervisor Kathryn Barger chaired a task force that set a goal of reopening Los Angeles County as early as July 4. 

“The economic and sociological impacts created by the COVID-19 shutdown have hurt our vulnerable populations the most,” Barger said. “The County, in partnership with our task force members and key stakeholders, is prepared to move forward with recommendations that ensure the safety and well-being of employees and customers while safeguarding public health.”

See Related: Los Angeles County Goal For ‘Safe Reopening’ As Early As July 4

An additional 1,183 COVID-19 cases were reported Tuesday. The County total of COVID-19 cases now stands at 39,573, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LADPH) Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer.

Ferrer noted case numbers are usually higher on Tuesdays and Wednesdays due to a testing backlog from over the weekend. 

5,914 people who tested positive for COVID-19 have been hospitalized at some point during their illness, accounting for roughly 15 percent of all positive cases within Los Angeles County.

Of those, 1,549 are currently hospitalized, according to public health officials.

76 new deaths were reported Tuesday, bringing the total of COVID-19-related deaths to 1,913 in Los Angeles County, according to Ferrer.

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

As of Monday afternoon, a total of 945 cumulative cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in the Santa Clarita Valley since testing began in March. These include:

• 583 in the City of Santa Clarita
• 33 in the unincorporated areas of Canyon Country
• 276 in Castaic*
  • As of Monday, May 18, this included 225 cases among prisoners at the North County Correctional Facility, and 31 at the Peter J. Pitchess Detention Center.
• Four in the unincorporated areas of Saugus
• 28 in Stevenson Ranch
• Seven in the unincorporated areas of Valencia
• 14 in the unincorporated areas of Val Verde

No cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in the unincorporated areas of Newhall as of Monday afternoon.

An update on the Santa Clarita Valley is expected to be released Tuesday afternoon.

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