Coronavirus deaths at skilled nursing facilities in Los Angeles County have declined, officials said Thursday.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is seeing a steady decline in COVID-19 deaths in skilled nursing facilities in L.A. County.

Skilled nursing facility COVID-19-associated deaths peaked in the beginning of May with 190 deaths a week. By mid-September, deaths in skilled nursing facilities dropped to 22 a week. Skilled nursing facilities did not experience an increase in COVID-19 deaths in July and August as Los Angeles County did overall, according to the department.

“Public Health remains in regular contact with skilled nursing facilities and provides facilities with education, technical assistance, guidance, emergency supplies of personal protective equipment, and COVID-19 testing support,” the department said Thursday. “Public Health also continues to survey skilled nursing facilities in the County for compliance with mandated COVID-19 testing and reports of COVID-19 cases and outbreaks.”

40 new Santa Clarita Valley coronavirus cases have been reported on Thursday, along with 1,165 additional Los Angeles County COVID-19 cases, according to Public Health. 

This brings the Santa Clarita Valley total to 5,825 cases and the Los Angeles County total to 264,414, according to officials. 

As of Thursday, Los Angeles County remains in Tier 1 of the state’s coronavirus criteria, the highest, most restrictive category.

On Wednesday, the 7-day average of new infections is 7 cases per 100,000 residents and a 2.9 percent 7-day positivity rate, according to Ferrer. 

Both of those numbers meet the threshold for the next tier of reopening, but most hold for two weeks to qualify for the next stage, according to Public Health.

See Related: Los Angeles County Makes Progress Toward Next Tier Of State Coronavirus Reopening

There are currently 753 people hospitalized due to COVID-19, with 28 percent of those patients in the intensive care unit (ICU), according to the department.

Testing results are available for 2,592,000 individuals as of Thursday, with a positivity rate of 9 percent, according to public health officials.

39 additional deaths have been reported within the county Thursday, for a total of 6,455 recorded people who have died due to coronavirus in Los Angeles County since March.

As of Thursday, a total of 5,825 cumulative cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in the Santa Clarita Valley since testing began in March. These include:

• 3,397 in the City of Santa Clarita*
• 133 in the unincorporated areas of Canyon Country
• 1,962 in Castaic*
• 27 in the unincorporated areas of Saugus
• 162 in Stevenson Ranch
• 44 in the unincorporated areas of Valencia
• 76 in the unincorporated areas of Val Verde
• Seven in the unincorporated areas of Newhall
• Eight in the unincorporated areas of Bouquet Canyon
• One in the unincorporated areas of Saugus/Canyon Country
• Seven in unincorporated Sand Canyon

*As of Wednesday, Sept. 23, officials had recorded 1,341 cumulative cases among prisoners at the North County Correctional Facility, and 499 at the Peter J. Pitchess Detention Center. Those cases are distributed between both the City of Santa Clarita and Castaic totals.

Additionally, 27 cumulative cases have been confirmed in nearby Acton as well as 70 in Agua Dulce.

An analysis of available data indicates that as of Wednesday, Sept. 23, approximately 31.8 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 Wednesday, Sept, 23, Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital has conducted 8,043 COVID-19 tests. Of those, 869 have tested positive, and 2 tests are still pending with Henry Mayo, according to Patrick Moody, spokesperson for the hospital.

There are 10 patients in the hospital as of Wednesday, while 253 patients have been discharged since the hospital’s first case was reported in March, according to Moody.

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

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