Los Angeles County Public Health officials on Friday confirmed 25 new deaths and 1,823 new cases of COVID-19 countywide, with 35,090 total cases in the Santa Clarita Valley. Additionally, Public Health announced that the Los Angeles County Health Officer Order will be modified today to require vaccination verification or a negative test prior to entry to all mega-events and event venues by Oct. 7.

Children under 12 years of age are exempt.

The Health Officer Order will also require vaccination verification for customers and employees at indoor portions of bars, lounges, nightclubs, breweries, wineries, and distilleries.

The requirement for vaccine verification or a negative test within 72 hours prior to attending an outdoor mega event aligns with the recently announced national strategy and includes venues and events with more than 10,000 attendees that are ticketed and/or have controlled points of entry to a well-defined area, such as sport and music arenas and theme parks. This is similar to the requirement for vaccination verification or a negative test prior to entry at all indoor events and arenas with more than 1,000 participants; this requirement has been in place since August 18. Many mega event venues established verification systems during the spring in response to previous capacity restrictions and Public Health will offer large venues and organizers of mega events technical assistance to assist with implementation.

The requirement for vaccine verification for customers in the indoor portions of bars, wineries, breweries, distilleries, nightclubs, and lounges and their employees applies to drinking establishments with either no restaurant permit or a low-risk restaurant permit and requires that all customers and employees have at least one dose of the vaccine by October 7 and full vaccination by November 4. These establishments primarily serve adults and already require patrons to show proof of age; and while children do not usually enter these establishments, children under 12 are exempt from these requirements. Full vaccination verification for services in the indoor portions of restaurants is strongly recommended.

This modified Order aligns with the continued need to reduce risk for transmission and increase vaccination coverage offering a reasonable path forward.

Additionally, Of the 25 new deaths reported today, six people who passed away were over the age of 80, eight people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79, seven people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64, and two people who died were between the ages of 30 and 49. Two deaths were reported by the City of Long Beach. To date, Public Health identified 1,440,721 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 25,799 deaths.

There are 1,156 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 29% of these people are in the ICU. Testing results are available for nearly 8,434,000 individuals with 16% of people testing positive. Today’s test positivity rate is 1.6%.

“Our hearts and thoughts are with those who have lost neighbors, coworkers, friends, and family during this difficult time; our prayers are with you,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health.

Santa Clarita Valley Friday Update

As of 6 p.m. Thursday, the L.A. County Public Health COVID-19 dashboard confirmed a total of 325 COVID-19 related deaths in the SCV since the pandemic began.

The following is the community breakdown of the 325 SCV residents who have died, according to the L.A. County dashboard:

275 in Santa Clarita

18 in Castaic

9 in Acton

7 in Stevenson Ranch

6 in unincorporated Canyon Country

3 in Agua Dulce

2 in Val Verde

1 in unincorporated Bouquet Canyon

1 in Elizabeth Lake

1 in Newhall

1 in unincorporated Saugus/Canyon Country

1 in Valencia

0 in Lake Hughes (**revised from 1)

Cases:

Of the 35,090 confirmed COVID-19 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 25,802

Castaic: 4,303 (incl. Pitchess Detention Center & North County Correctional Facility*)

Stevenson Ranch: 1,604

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 1,104

Acton: 692

Val Verde: 412

Agua Dulce: 379

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 262/p>

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 160

Elizabeth Lake: 98

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 70

Bouquet Canyon: 62

Saugus/Canyon Country: 46

Lake Hughes: 51

Sand Canyon: 22

San Francisquito/Bouquet Canyon: 18

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.

William S. Hart Union High School District COVID-19 Dashboard

The William S. Hart Union High School District provides ongoing information to our community regarding COVID-19 cases while maintaining confidentiality for our students and staff. The COVID-19 case data below is updated regularly to indicate any currently confirmed COVID-19 positive case in staff members or students by school site. The data below is specific to individuals who have been physically present on a District campus within 14 days of receiving a positive COVID-19 test. The District, in conjunction with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, conducts contact tracing and directly notifies and provides resources for parents of students identified as close contacts (6 feet or less for 15 cumulative minutes or more).

Note: To see the communication process in the event of a positive COVID-19 case, visit https://www.hartdistrict.org/apps/pages/covid-19dashboard.

Student Dashboard:

Staff Dashboard:

Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital Friday Update

Note: Information from Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital was not available on Friday, Sept. 17, by the deadline.

Officials from Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital reported two additional deaths Thursday, bringing the total number of COVID-19 deaths to 165 since the onset of the pandemic, hospital spokesman Patrick Moody confirmed.

Currently, there are zero tests pending, 22 patients in the hospital, and a total of 1,491 patients who have been treated and discharged 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 4,397,469 cases and 66,813 deaths to date.

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

There were 9,543 newly reported confirmed cases Thursday.

As of September 16, local health departments have reported 123,767 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 498 deaths statewide.

Cases are increasing statewide, largely among unvaccinated populations:

– For the week of August 29 – September 4, the average case rate among unvaccinated Californians age 16 or older is 71.03 per 100,000 per day and the average case rate among vaccinated Californians age 16 or older is significantly lower at 8.9 per 100,000 per day.

– The great majority of new cases are among unvaccinated individuals. The rate among the unvaccinated is 8 times the rate among the vaccinated.

The 7-day positivity rate is 3.5%.

There have been 88,152,051 tests conducted in California. This represents an increase of 364,593 during the prior 24-hour reporting period.

As of Sept. 17, according to the CDC, 82.5% of eligible Californians have received at least one dose. Providers have reported to CDPH that a total of 48,285,152 vaccine doses have been administered statewide.

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 Update

Increasing the proportion of the population that is vaccinated remains one the County’s highest priorities. As of September 12, 91% of L.A. County residents 65 and over have received at least one dose of the vaccine, 77% of residents 16 and over and 76% of residents 12 and over. Sixty-seven percent of residents 12 and over have been fully vaccinated. Sixty-five percent of L.A. County teens between the ages of 12 and 17 received at least one dose and 56% are fully vaccinated. Out of the nearly 10.3 million L.A. County residents, including those who are not yet eligible for the vaccine, 65% have received at least one dose, and 58% are fully vaccinated. Countywide, nearly 68,000 third doses have been administered to immunocompromised people.

“Persistent gaps in vaccination coverage should worry us all, as unvaccinated people are at significant risk of catching and transmitting the virus – and of even greater concern, are at risk for becoming severely ill or dying as a consequence of infection. Additional surges are likely in the absence of better vaccination coverage. As evidence mounts affirming the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines, targeted vaccine requirements to protect the safety of populations at risk for infection are a critical part of policy strategies for preventing future surges of COVID-19. Targeted vaccination requirements are both able to create additional safety at workplaces, schools, establishments and events, and they also increase vaccination coverage in a community,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health.

Vaccinations are always free and open to eligible residents and workers regardless of immigration status.
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 Sept. 13, there have been 603 cases of MIS-C have been reported statewide (**revised from 596).

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 Sept. 5 to Sept. 11, the average time patients waited for test results was 1.3 days. During this same time period, 70% of patients received test results in one day and 90% 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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