On Friday, Los Angeles County Public Health officials confirmed 17 new deaths and 3,930 new cases of COVID-19 countywide, with 30,692 total cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.

The high number of new cases reflects significant increases in screening testing at businesses and schools.

Of the 17 new deaths reported today, one person who passed away was over the age of 80, six people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79, five people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64, and four people who died were between the ages of 30 and 49. One death was reported by the City of Long Beach.

To date, Public Health has identified 1,319,216 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 24,756 deaths.

“We send our deepest condolences to everyone who has lost a loved one or friend to COVID-19,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health.

There are 1,370 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 22% of these people are in the ICU. This is an increase of 715 daily hospitalizations in two weeks.

Testing results are available for nearly 7,430,000 individuals with 16% of people testing positive. Today’s test positivity rate is 5.3%.

“The continued increase in cases serves as a stark reminder that responding to the infectious Delta variant requires adjustments if we want to slow the spread,” said Ferrer. “Let’s continue to enjoy time spent with our friends and family doing activities that bring us joy – but let’s do so adding back sensible protections. Wear a face mask when indoors and when in very crowded spaces outdoors. Move social gatherings outside and practice distancing when among unvaccinated people. If you can’t avoid sustained close contact with people you don’t know, consider upgrading your mask to a KN95 or respirator. And please, if you can get vaccinated, do so now to avoid being part of the surge.”

Public Health Ambassador Program

Public Health, in partnership with Los Angeles County school districts, offers the Public Health Ambassador Program for students and parents.

This partnership with Los Angeles County school districts actively engages members of school communities in preventing and reducing the spread of COVID-19 by empowering students and parents as essential partners in each school’s prevention effort.

The program includes training and activities with open enrollment beginning next week on Monday, Aug. 9 through Thursday, Sept. 9.

Public Health is encouraging students and parents to join the movement to inform others in your community about COVID-19 prevention and vaccines. Parent Ambassadors are trained on proven safety practices for home and in the broader community and Student Ambassadors meet weekly and learn about the impact of COVID-19 on wellbeing, social determinants of health, and how to promote safety among their peers.

Over the summer, student ambassadors created the following videos available on YouTube.com/lapublichealth:

– Safety and Prevention Tips: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yw7LnOg9u9Q

– Friends Navigating COVID-19: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTKuoSU3nzk

– Handwashing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYK5XhukB4k

– COVID-19 Vaccine : https://youtu.be/3rDHOSlH2cU

More information including how to sign up for parents and students is available online.

Santa Clarita Valley Friday Update

As of 6 p.m. Wednesday, the L.A. County Public Health COVID-19 dashboard confirmed a total of 312 COVID-19 related deaths in the SCV since the pandemic began.

The following is the community breakdown of the 312 SCV residents who have died, according to the L.A. County dashboard:

269 in Santa Clarita

16 in Castaic (**revised initially from 18)

6 in Acton

6 in Stevenson Ranch

5 in unincorporated Canyon Country

3 in Agua Dulce

1 in unincorporated Bouquet Canyon

1 in Elizabeth Lake

1 in Lake Hughes

1 in Newhall

1 in unincorporated Saugus/Canyon Country

1 in Valencia

1 in Val Verde

Of the 30,692 confirmed COVID-19 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 22,505

Castaic: 3,955 (incl. Pitchess Detention Center & North County Correctional Facility*)

Stevenson Ranch: 1,352

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 948

Acton: 545

Val Verde: 363

Agua Dulce: 321

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 225

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 143

Elizabeth Lake: 88

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 69

Bouquet Canyon: 51

Saugus/Canyon Country: 47

Lake Hughes: 43

Sand Canyon: 18

San Francisquito/Bouquet Canyon: 15

Placerita 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 Newhall Hospital Friday Update

As of Friday, Aug. 6, Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital had one test pending, 31 patients hospitalized, a total of 1,325 patients treated and discharged since the pandemic began, and no additional deaths, hospital spokesman Patrick Moody confirmed.

To date, there have been 153 deaths since the pandemic began.

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

California Friday Snapshot

California Department of Public Health confirmed Friday 3,913,560 cases and 64,243 deaths to date.

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

As of August 5, local health departments have reported 117,292 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 482 deaths statewide.

There were 14,402 newly reported confirmed cases Thursday.

Cases are increasing statewide, largely among unvaccinated populations:

– For the week of July 31, the average case rate among unvaccinated Californians is 33 per 100,000 per day and the average case rate among vaccinated Californians is significantly lower at 7 per 100,000 per day.

– The vast majority of new cases are among the unvaccinated with 470% higher case rates among the unvaccinated than for those who are vaccinated.

The 7-day positivity rate is 7.1%.

There have been 74,870,934 tests conducted in California. This represents an increase of 250,620 during the prior 24-hour reporting period.

As of August 6, providers have reported administering a total of 44,479,024 vaccine doses statewide. The CDC reports that 50,339,575 doses have been delivered to entities within the state.

Numbers do not represent true day-to-day change as reporting may be delayed. For more vaccination data, visit the COVID-19 Vaccine Data Dashboard.

See more California information later in this report.

L.A. County Vaccine Information

Visit: www.VaccinateLACounty.com (English) and www.VacunateLosAngeles.com (Spanish) to learn how to make an appointment at vaccination sites. If you don’t have internet access, can’t use a computer, or you’re over 65, you can call 1-833-540-0473 for help finding an appointment. Vaccinations are always free and open to eligible residents and workers regardless of immigration status.

L.A. County Public Health’s 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.

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 August 2 there have been 589 cases of MIS-C have been reported statewide.

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.

Although very rare, COVID-19 cases among children can sometimes result a few weeks later in very serious illness known as Multi-symptom Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C).

Vaccine Eligibility

As of May 13, vaccination appointments for individuals aged 12+ can be made by visiting myturn.ca.gov. The consent of a parent or legal guardian may be needed for those between the ages of 12 and 17 to receive a vaccination. For more information on the vaccine effort, visit Vaccinate All 58.

Tracking COVID-19 in California

* State Dashboard – Daily COVID-19 data

* County Map – Local data

* Data and Tools – Models and dashboards for researchers, scientists, and the public

* COVID-19 Race & Ethnicity Data – Weekly updated Race & Ethnicity data

* Cases and Deaths by Age Group – Weekly updated Deaths by Age Group data

* Health Equity Dashboard – See how COVID-19 highlights existing inequities in health

* Tracking Variants – Data on the variants California is currently monitoring

* Safe Schools for All Hub – Information about safe in-person instruction

* School Districts Reopening Map – data on public schools and reported outbreaks

California Testing & Turnaround Time

The testing turnaround time dashboardreports how long California patients are waiting for COVID-19 test results.

During the week of July 25 to July 31, the average time patients waited for test results was one day.

During this same time period, 80% of patients received test results in one day and 95% received them within two days.

Protect Yourself and Your Family: Your Actions Save Lives

Protect yourself, family, friends, and community by following these prevention measures:

* Getting vaccinated when it’s your turn. Californians age 16+ are eligible to make an appointment.

* Avoiding non-essential travel, and practicing self-quarantine for 14 days after arrival if you leave the state.

* Keeping interactions limited to people 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.

* Staying home except for essential needs/activities following local and state public health guidelines when patronizing approved businesses. To the extent that sectors are re-opened, Californians may leave their homes to work at, patronize, or otherwise engage with those businesses, establishments or activities.

* Getting tested if you believe you’ve been exposed. Free, confidential testing is available statewide.

* Adding your phone to the fight by signing up for COVID-19 exposure notifications from CA Notify.

* Answering the call if a contact tracer from the CA COVID Team or local health department tries to connect.

* Following guidance from public health officials.

California COVID-19 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.

* 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)

Consolidated guidance is available on the California Department of Public Health’s Guidance webpage.

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Always check with trusted sources for the latest accurate information about novel coronavirus (COVID-19):

* Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

* California Department of Public Health

* Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

* Spanish

* World Health Organization

* Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 Dashboard

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

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