On Friday, Los Angeles County Public Health officials confirmed nine new deaths and 253 new cases of COVID-19 countywide, with 28,101 total cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.

Of the nine new deaths reported today, three people that passed away were over the age of 80, four people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79, and two people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64.

“To everyone who lost a loved one or friend to COVID-19, we are so sorry for your loss,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health.

To date, Public Health identified 1,247,216 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 24,435 deaths.

There are 220 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 24% of these people are in the ICU. Testing results are available for nearly 6,936,000 individuals with 17% of people testing positive.

Today’s daily test positivity rate is 0.7%.

“While cases and other metrics remain low, COVID-19 transmission and severe health outcomes continue among unvaccinated people,” said Ferrer. “If your father, grandfather, great-grandfather, or other family member hasn’t had a chance to get vaccinated yet, now is a good time to take them to get vaccinated. Vaccinations remain widely available throughout L.A. County.”

Cal/OSHA Standards/Masking Requirements

Workplaces remain under the current Cal/OSHA standards, which now allows most fully vaccinated employees to stop wearing masks.

Masks are required for all workers in public transit and at transportation hubs, K-12 schools, child care sites, children’s camps, youth-serving programs, health care facilities, state and local correctional and detention facilities, emergency and homeless shelters, and wherever businesses require all workers to wear face coverings.

For more information on the County reopening including masking requirements, travel guidance, best practices, and remaining sector protocols, visit ReopeningLACounty.com.

Safety During the Holiday Weekend/ Updated Travel Advisory

Public Health reminds the community that if you are unvaccinated and in a setting where you are in close contact with other people who may not be fully vaccinated, consider wearing a higher level of protection, such as wearing two masks (double masking) or a respirator (e.g., N95 or KN95). This is especially important if you are in an indoor setting.

Everyone traveling this holiday weekend are urged to follow all national public health travel, testing and quarantine guidelines.

You can find the updated travel advisory guidelines for California here, or check the Travel Planner here for state, local, tribal, and territorial government restrictions before traveling.

Public Health cautions everyone to not travel if you are sick, have a recent positive COVID-19 viral test result, or are waiting for results of a COVID-19 viral test after being exposed to the virus.

“Many people will gather this weekend with family and friends to celebrate Father’s Day and Juneteenth,” said Ferrer. “If you’re celebrating the holidays with someone elderly or with underlying health conditions, and they haven’t been vaccinated, I encourage you to celebrate safely outdoors with masks and distancing or virtually.”

Cases at Skilled Nursing Facilities

Cases at skilled nursing facilities dropped significantly since staff and residents have been vaccinated and continue to remain low.

For the week ending June 5, nearly 40,000 COVID-19 tests were completed among skilled nursing facility staff and residents and 21 people tested positive for COVID-19; 8 new cases among residents and 13 new cases among staff; the majority of these cases are among unvaccinated individuals. For comparison, the last week of December 2020, a total of 2,532 people tested positive for COVID-19; 1,423 cases among residents and 1,109 cases among staff.

Currently, 83% of skilled nursing facility staff and 82% of skilled nursing facility residents are fully vaccinated. High rates of vaccination are correlated with low case rates among staff and residents at skilled nursing facilities.

California Friday Snapshot

Statewide, as of Thursday, June 17, California Department of Public Health officials confirmed 3,700,750 COVID-19 cases (up 1,295) with 62,622 deaths from the disease (up 57) since the pandemic began.

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

As of June 17, local health departments have reported 112,318 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 467 deaths statewide.

The 7-day positivity rate is 0.9%.

There have been 68,254,378 tests conducted in California. This represents an increase of 156,249 during the prior 24-hour reporting period.

As of June 18, providers have reported administering a total of 40,240,591 vaccine doses statewide.

The CDC reports that 47,436,785 doses have been delivered to entities within the state.

Numbers do not represent true day-to-day change as reporting may be delayed.

See more California information later in this report.

Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital Friday Update

As of Friday, June 18, Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital had zero cases pending, four patients have been hospitalized in a dedicated COVID unit, a total of 1,247 patients had been treated and discharged since the pandemic began and there have been no additional deceased, hospital spokesman Patrick Moody said.

The last COVID-related death occurred May 21, 2021.

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.

Santa Clarita Valley Friday Update

As of 6 p.m. Wednesday, the L.A. County Public Health COVID-19 dashboard remains unchanged with 306 deaths among Santa Clarita Valley residents since the pandemic began.

The following is the community breakdown of the 306 SCV residents who have died, according to the L.A. County dashboard:

263 in Santa Clarita

17 in Castaic

6 in Acton

6 in Stevenson Ranch

4 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 28,101 confirmed COVID-19 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

* City of Santa Clarita: 20,578

* Castaic: 3,744 (incl. Pitchess Detention Center & North County Correctional Facility*)

* Stevenson Ranch: 1,167

* Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 853

* Acton: 490

* Val Verde: 338

* Agua Dulce: 285

* Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 197

* Saugus (unincorporated portion): 132

* Elizabeth Lake: 82/p>

* Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 69

* Bouquet Canyon: 49

* Lake Hughes: 42

* Saugus/Canyon Country: 40

* Sand Canyon: 17

* San Francisquito/Bouquet Canyon: 15

* Placerita Canyon: 3

*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.

From now through July 4th, Uber and Lyft are offering 4 free rides (up to 25$ each) to and from vaccination sites.

L.A. County Vaccine Update

The County is transitioning from the four larger capacity vaccination sites to community sites accessible by public transit.

The California State University Northridge site’s last day of operations was Jun 7; vaccinations will continue to be available to nearby residents at the Balboa Sports Complex vaccination site.

If you received your first dose at the California State University Northridge site, you can receive your second dose at the nearby Balboa Sports Complex site.

The Pomona Fairplex, Forum, and LACOE/Downey large capacity vaccination sites closed June 13 with new community sites at Ted Watkins Memorial Park in South L.A., the Commerce Senior Citizens Center in the City of Commerce, and the Norwalk Arts and Sports Complex in the City of Norwalk replacing them.

Public Health continues to build an extensive network with pharmacies, federally qualified health centers, hospitals, health clinics, and community vaccination sites, including these large-capacity sites:

* Dodger Stadium (operated by the city of Los Angeles)

* College of the Canyons, 26455 Rockwell Canyon Rd, Santa Clarita, CA 91355

* Palmdale Oasis Park Recreation Center, 3850 E Ave S, Palmdale, CA 93550

* California State University, Los Angeles, 5151 State University Drive, Los Angeles 90032 (operated by FEMA)

Vaccination Sweepstakes

Beginning today, Friday, June 18 through next Thursday, June 24 at County-run vaccination sites, participating LA City sites, and St. John’s Well Child and Family Center sites, everyone 18 and older coming to get their first vaccine or who brings a first-time vaccine recipient with them to their second dose appointment, will have an opportunity to win one of three prizes: two 17-ticket packages to see Pepe Aguilar at the Staples Center this November, and one VIP Experience for 20 people at Universal Studios Hollywood. Official rules and participating site locations are posted online on the Los Angeles County Vaccination Sweepstakes page.

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 June 14, there have been 541 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 Update

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 June 6 to June 12, the average time patients waited for test results was under one day.

During this same time period, 87% of patients received test results in one day and 97% 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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