On Friday, Los Angeles County Public Health officials confirmed 17 new deaths and 583 new cases of COVID-19 countywide, with 27,842 total cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.

The higher number of reported cases today is due to a backlog from a single provider that reported over 300 positive lab results from January.

In total, Public Health has identified 1,236,988 cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and 24,074 deaths.

Of the 17 new deaths reported today, nine people that passed away were over the age of 80, five people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79, two people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64 and one person who died was between the ages of 30 and 49.

“While we are grateful that our case numbers continue to remain low and stable, there are still many families in our County that are experiencing the loss of a loved one to COVID-19. For those grieving right now, we wish you healing and peace,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health.

There are 366 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 23% of these people are in the ICU.

Testing results are available for nearly 6,624,000 individuals with 17% of people testing positive. Today’s daily test positivity rate is 0.5%.

Vaccine Effectiveness Against Variants

Public Health continues to track and study variants of COVID-19 in the County.

Like all viruses, SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, changes constantly through mutation, and the more transmission there is of the virus, the more mutations there will be.

The two most commonly circulating variants of concern in L.A. County have been, and remain, the UK (B.1.1.7) and California (B.1.427/429) variants.

Of the 79 specimens analyzed by the L.A. County Public Health Laboratory in the past week, 35% were the UK variant and 6% were the California variant.

The lab also detected 11 Brazil (P.1) variants last week, a significant increase from prior sequencing results.

The identification of these variants and the news of spreading variants from across the globe highlights the need for L.A. County residents to continue to take measures to protect themselves and others; this is particularly true for those who are not vaccinated who can end up unknowingly being incubators of variants of concern.

If you are not yet vaccinated or unable to get vaccinated, please continue to wear a mask and maintain 6 feet of distance when around others not in your household and consider getting the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as you can.

“Across the world and here in California, we remain troubled by the proliferation of variants of concern,” said Ferrer. “These variants, which are more infectious and deadly than other strains, are a good reason for those not vaccinated to get vaccinated.

All of the information currently available indicates that vaccines appear to be highly effective in preventing transmission, hospitalizations, and deaths, even with the increased presence of variants.

People who are vaccinated have a powerful layer of protection. In large studies that involved a diverse mix of people, all three vaccines were shown to be safe and effective at preventing COVID-19 disease, including severe illness and death,” said Ferrer. “In addition, current data suggest that COVID-19 vaccines authorized for use in the United States offer protection against most variants and significantly reduce the risk of becoming infected.”

California Friday Snapshot

Statewide, as of Thursday, May 13, California Department of Public Health officials confirmed 3,661,675 COVID-19 cases (up 2,034) with 61,417 deaths from the disease (up 66) since the pandemic began.

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

As of May 13, local health departments have reported 109,936 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 459 deaths statewide.

The 7-day positivity rate is 1.1%.

There have been 62,690,360 tests conducted in California.

This represents an increase of 219,570 during the prior 24-hour reporting period.

As of May 14, providers have reported administering a total of 33,745,248 vaccine doses statewide.

The CDC reports that 42,879,780 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

Note: Data for Friday, May 14, was not available by deadline.

As of Thursday, the hospital had zero cases pending, two patients were hospitalized in a dedicated COVID-19 unit, and a total of 1,231 patients had been treated and discharged since the pandemic began, hospital spokesman Patrick Moody said.

There were no additional deaths, keeping the total deaths at 147 people to date. The most recent death was March 21.

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. Thursday, the L.A. County Public Health COVID-19 dashboard remains unchanged from Thursday’s update with 304 deaths among Santa Clarita Valley residents since the pandemic began.

The following is the community breakdown of the 304 SCV residents who have died, according to the L.A. County dashboard:

260 in Santa Clarita

18 in Castaic

6 in Acton

6 in Stevenson Ranch

3 in Agua Dulce

4 in unincorporated Canyon Country

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 27,842 confirmed COVID-19 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

* City of Santa Clarita: 20,392

* Castaic: 3,731 (incl. Pitchess Detention Center & North County Correctional Facility*)

* Stevenson Ranch: 1,150

* Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 846

* Acton: 474

* Val Verde: 337

* Agua Dulce: 280

* Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 194

* Saugus (unincorporated portion): 132

* Elizabeth Lake: 76

* Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 68

* Bouquet Canyon: 47

* Lake Hughes: 42

* Saugus/Canyon Country: 40

* Sand Canyon: 17

* San Francisquito/Bouquet Canyon: 15

* Placerita Canyon: 1

*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.

L.A. County Demographics — Cases by Age Group (excluding Long Beach and Pasadena)

* 0 to 4: 29231

* 5 to 11: 56015

* 12 to 17: 70153

* 18 to 29: 277870

* 30 to 49: 389833

* 50 to 64: 226059

* 65 to 79: 89943

* over 80: 32816

* Under Investigation 648

L.A. County Vaccine Update

Public Health continues to offer vaccinations without appointments at County-run vaccination sites while supply lasts.

Anyone 12 years and older living or working in Los Angeles County can now get vaccinated without booking an appointment (teens 12 to 17 years old must be accompanied by a parent or guardian).

Registration for COVID-19 appointments will be completed on-site.

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, Northridge, 18111 Nordhoff St, Northridge 91330

* Pomona Fairplex, 1101 W McKinley Ave, Pomona 91768

* The Forum, 3900 W Manchester Blvd, Inglewood 90305

* L.A. County Office of Education, 12830 Columbia Way, Downey 90242

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

Visit: www.VaccinateLACounty.com (English) and www.VacunateLosAngeles.com (Spanish) to learn how to make an appointment at vaccination sites, what verifications people will need to show at your vaccination appointment, and much more. 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. There may be an extended wait time to speak with an operator for help making an appointment during high demand times. 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.

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 tiers are updated weekly on Tuesdays. The Blueprint summary as of May 11:

* 0 counties are currently in the Purple (widespread) Tier

* 11 counties are currently in the Red (substantial) Tier

* 38 counties are currently in the Orange (moderate) Tier

* 9 counties are in the Yellow (minimal) Tier (including L.A. County)

Find the status of activities in specific counties.

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 May 10, there have been 508 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, 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

California Testing & Turnaround Time

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

During the week of April 18 to April 24, the average time patients waited for test results was just under one day.

During this same time period, 83% of patients received test results in one day and 98% 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.

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 healthcare provider before seeking medical care so that appropriate precautions can be taken.

It’s important if someone thinks they could be positive for COVID-19 and are awaiting testing results to stay at home and act as if they are positive. This means self-isolating for 10 days and 72 hours after symptoms and fever subside.

If a person tests positive for COVID-19, they should plan on receiving a call from a public health specialist to discuss how to protect themselves and others, find out where they may have been, and who they were in close contact with while infectious.

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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