The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed Friday 14 new deaths, including two in the city of Santa Clarita and 234 new cases of COVID-19, with 27,979 total cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.

Of the 14 new deaths reported Friday, five people that passed away were over the age of 80, two people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79, two 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 Pasadena and one death was reported by the city of Long Beach.

To date, Public Health identified 1,244,662 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 24,378 deaths. There are 253 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 17% of these people are in the ICU. Testing results are available for nearly 6,796,000 individuals with 17% of people testing positive. Friday’s daily test positivity rate is 0.4%.

While case numbers and other metrics continue to remain low and stable, there is still potential for transmission of COVID-19 at worksites among unvaccinated workers. It will continue to be important for all businesses to comply with infection control requirements and all Cal/OSHA requirements at worksites past the June 15 reopening.

Yesterday, the Cal/OSHA standards board recommended relaxing physical distancing and masking requirements for fully vaccinated workers, and other adjustments to align with the June 15 reopening. If the standards are approved by the Office of Administrative Law in the next 10 calendar days, the standards are expected to go into effect no later than June 15. The revised standards include the following:

Face Coverings: Fully vaccinated workers without COVID-19 symptoms do not need to wear face coverings in a room where everyone else is fully vaccinated and not showing symptoms. In rooms where everyone is not vaccinated, face coverings continue to be required for everyone regardless of vaccination status. Both fully vaccinated and unvaccinated workers without symptoms do not need to wear face coverings outdoors except when working at “outdoor mega events” with over 10,000 attendees, which may include events or theme parks.

Physical Distancing: When the revised standards take effect, employers can eliminate physical distancing and partitions/barriers for employees working indoors and at outdoor mega events if an employer provides respirators, such as N95s, to unvaccinated employees for voluntary use. After July 31, physical distancing and barriers are no longer required (except during outbreaks) provided all unvaccinated employees are offered respirators for voluntary use.

Exclusion from the Workplace: Fully vaccinated workers who do not have COVID-19 symptoms no longer need to be excluded from the workplace after a close contact.

Special Protections for Housing and Transportation: Special COVID-19 prevention measures that apply to employer-provided housing and transportation no longer apply if all occupants are fully vaccinated.

Employers will still be required to maintain a written COVID-19 Prevention Program with the following changes:

Employers must review the California Department of Public Health’s Interim guidance for Ventilation, Filtration, and Air Quality in Indoor Environments.

COVID-19 prevention training must now include information on how the vaccine is effective at preventing COVID-19 and protecting against both transmission and serious illness or death.

California Friday Snapshot
California Department of Public Health confirmed Friday 3,687,736 confirmed cases and 62,179 deaths to date. There are 1,062 confirmed hospitalizations and 260 ICU hospitalizations in the state.

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

There were 1,047 newly recorded confirmed cases Thursday.

The 7-day positivity rate is 0.9%.

There have been 66,152,168 tests conducted in California. This represents an increase of 142,365 during the prior 24-hour reporting period.

As of June 4, providers have reported administering a total of 38,026,292 vaccine doses statewide. The CDC reports that 46,557,380 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.

Health Care Workers

As of June 3, local health departments have reported 111,551 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 465 deaths statewide.

Santa Clarita Valley Friday Update
As of 5:30 p.m. Friday, the L.A. County Public Health dashboard recorded two more deaths in the city of Santa Clarita, while revising its Castaic total (from 18 down to 17), bringing the total number of SCV deaths from COVID-19 to 305.

The following is the community breakdown of the 305 SCV residents who have died, according to the L.A. County dashboard:

262 in Santa Clarita

17 in Castaic (**revised from 18)

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 27,979 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 20,493

Castaic: 3,736

(includes Pitchess Detention Center and North County Correctional Facility*)

Stevenson Ranch: 1,161

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 850

Acton: 481

Val Verde: 337

Agua Dulce: 283

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 195

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 132

Elizabeth Lake: 78

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 69

Bouquet Canyon: 48

Lake Hughes: 42

Saugus/Canyon Country: 40

Sand Canyon: 17

San Francisquito/Bouquet Canyon: 15

Placerita Canyon: 2

*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, Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital had zero cases pending and a total of 1,240 patients had been treated and discharged since the pandemic began, confirmed Michael Crawford, a hospital representative.

There have not been any additional hospitalizations or any additional deaths. The last death occurred on May 21.

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

L.A. County

“We extend our deepest condolences to the many people across L.A. County who have lost a loved one or friend to COVID-19,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “Businesses following required safety modifications at worksites remains an important strategy to keep COVID-19 transmission low as we increase the number of people vaccinated. A fully vaccinated workplace is the safest worksite to prevent COVID-19 infection and will allow for the fewest worksite requirements. We urge employers to make it easy for all workers to get vaccinated by bringing vaccines to the worksite or offering paid time off for staff to get vaccinated. Ensuring worker safety is essential.”

Public Health is connecting businesses and workplaces needing vaccinations to County mobile units and vaccination partners throughout the community. If there is a workplace where people need to get vaccinated, Public Health encourages you to visit the Find a Vaccination Provider page to request an on-site clinic at your workplace, business, or special event from one of the mobile vaccination units or other vaccination partners in the community to provide vaccines.

Beginning Friday, June 4 to next Thursday, June 10 at County-run vaccination sites, participating L.A. city 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 a pair of tickets to the 2021-2022 home season of either the L.A. Football Club soccer team or the L.A. Dodgers. Official rules and participating site locations will be posted on the Los Angeles County Vaccination Sweepstakes page online this Friday.

Anyone 12 and older living or working in L.A. County can get vaccinated. Vaccinations are always free and open to eligible residents and workers regardless of immigration status.

To find a vaccination site near you, to make an appointment at vaccination sites, and much more, Visit: www.VaccinateLACounty.com (English) and www.VacunateLosAngeles.com (Spanish) 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 or scheduling a home-visit if you are homebound. Vaccinations are always free and open to eligible residents and workers regardless of immigration status.

County Reopening Protocols, COVID-19 Vaccine Dashboard, COVID-19 Surveillance Interactive Dashboard, Roadmap to Recovery, Recovery Dashboard, and additional actions you can take to protect yourself, your family and your community are on the Public Health website, www.publichealth.lacounty.gov.

California Friday

Additional data and udpates:

Tracking COVID-19 in California

State Dashboard – Daily COVID-19 data

County Map – Local data, including tier status and ICU capacity

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

Blueprint for a Safer Economy– Data for establishing tier status

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

Vaccine Eligibility Update

Individuals aged 12+ are eligible for vaccination. Visit myturn.ca.gov to make an appointment. Individuals aged 17 and younger may need the consent of a parent or legal guardian for vaccination. Visit Vaccinate All 58 to learn more about the safe and effective vaccines available.

Blueprint for a Safer Economy

All counties are under the rules and framework of the Blueprint for a Safer Economy and color-coded tiers that indicate which activities and businesses are open based on local case rates and test positivity. As always, local public health departments may implement policies that are more restrictive than the state.

Blueprint Summary as of June 1

0 counties in the Purple (widespread) Tier

4 counties in the Red (substantial) Tier

35 counties in Orange (moderate) Tier

19 counties in Yellow (minimal) Tier

Blueprint tiers are updated weekly on Tuesdays. Find the status of activities in specific counties.

Testing Turnaround Time

The testing turnaround time dashboard reports how long California patients are waiting for COVID-19 test results. During the week of May 23 to May 29, the average time patients waited for test results was under one day. During this same time period, 88% of patients received test results in one day and 97% received them within two days.

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)

As of May 31, there have been 527 of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) 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.

Your Actions Save Lives
Protect yourself, family, friends and your community by following these prevention measures:

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

– If you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 (fever, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, muscle or body aches), call your health care provider.

– If you believe you have been exposed, get tested. Free, confidential testing is available statewide.

– Keep gatherings small and outdoors and follow state and local public health guidance.

– Wear a mask and get the most out of masking – an effective mask has both good fit and good filtration.

– Wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.

– Delay non-essential travel outside of California until you are fully vaccinated. Follow California’s travel advisory.

– Avoid close contact with people who are sick and stay home from work and school if you feel ill.

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

– Answer the call or text if a contact tracer from the CA COVID Team or your local health department tries to connect.

Always check with trusted sources for the latest accurate information about novel coronavirus:

– Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

– California Department of Public Health

– Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

– Spanish

– World Health Organization

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

What to Do if You Think You’re Sick
Call ahead: If you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 (fever, cough or shortness of breath), call your health care provider before seeking medical care so that appropriate precautions can be taken. More than 85 community testing sites also offer free, confidential testing: Find a COVID-19 Testing Site.

For more information about what Californians can do to prevent the spread of COVID-19, visit Coronavirus (COVID-19) in California.

California continues to issue guidance on preparing and protecting California from COVID-19. Consolidated guidance is available on the California Department of Public Health’s Guidance webpage.