The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed 11 new deaths throughout L.A. County, 1,336 new cases countywide and 45 new cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.

This new data brings Los Angeles County death totals to 33,740, county case totals to 3,464,157 and Santa Clarita Valley case totals to 91,126 since March of 2020. SCV deaths from COVID-19 remain at 503.

Of the 11 new deaths reported today, two people were between the ages of 50-64, four people were between the ages of 65-79, and five people were aged 80 years or older. Of the 11 newly reported deaths, all had underlying health conditions.

Friday’s positivity rate is 4.6%.

There are 500 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized. Testing results are available for more than 12,582,282 individuals, with 24% of people testing positive.

Getting the Updated Fall COVID-19 Booster Critical for Older Vulnerable Residents

County residents who are older than 65 face the greatest risk of serious illness from COVID-19, yet very few have received the new updated Fall COVID-19 booster that offers protection against more recent variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

The updated Fall boosters from Pfizer and Moderna are bivalent vaccines, meaning they protect against both the original virus that causes COVID-19 and the more recently spreading Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants. Although the two subvariants are different, they have the same spike protein, and the new Fall booster offers protection against both.

It is important for all residents to get the updated Fall booster because immunity from both earlier vaccinations and/or a previous COVID-19 infection wanes over time. The virus has mutated significantly over the past two and a half years, and the new strains can evade some of the protection from earlier vaccinations or previous infections.

As of Sept. 2, about 126,000 seniors have received the updated Fall booster, which is just 10% of the more than 1.2 million Los Angeles County residents 65 and older.

There are 1,046 vaccination sites across the county offering the updated Fall booster. Seniors and residents who can’t easily leave their home can contact Public Health telehealth services at (833) 540-0473, seven days a week, from 8:00 am to 8:30 pm to arrange for at-home Fall booster and primary series vaccinations or transportation to a vaccination center. Insurance is not required, and callers can be assisted in multiple languages.

If seniors do test positive for COVID-19, they can contact telehealth services or promptly call their doctor to see if they qualify for medication to treat COVID-19. Older residents who are at elevated risk for severe illness may be able to receive treatment that include the oral medications, Paxlovid and Molnupiravir, or injectable medications, such as Bebtelovimab or Remdesivir.

Overall, the county does continue to report improved COVID-19 case and death metrics. The 7-day average case count in the county is 1,138, a 12% decline from one week ago when the 7-day average of 1,291 cases was reported.

Over the past seven days, the average number of daily COVID-positive patients in LA County hospitals remains stable from one week ago when the average number of daily COVID-positive patients per day was about 500.

Deaths, which typically lag hospitalizations by several weeks, have remained at about 11 deaths reported each day this past week.

The Omicron variant still accounts for 100% of Los Angeles County sequenced specimens, and the BA.5 subvariant of Omicron remains the predominant subvariant, making up nearly 90% of cases. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that, for the week ending Oct. 1, 90% of specimens in Region 9, which includes California, Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii and U.S. territories in the Pacific Ocean, were BA.5. For the U.S. overall, the CDC estimates that 81% of specimens were BA.5 reflecting the increases in other parts of the country.

This past week, there were county increases in a few of the sublineages that Public Health has been monitoring: BA.4.6 increased from about 3% last week to 5% this week. BA.2.75 now accounts for 1% of specimens with 42 specimens to date, an increase from 30 specimens last week. There are also three LA County specimens of BA.2.75.2, which Public Health will continue to watch closely, since this sublineage has been spreading in parts of Asia and Europe and may both evade prior protections and not respond to some currently available treatments.

Two weeks ago, Public Health began tracking a new subvariant, called BF.7, a sublineage of BA.5 also referred to as BA.5.2.1.7. So far, 50 sequenced specimens in LA County have been determined to be from BF.7, now accounting for 1.4% of sequenced samples. While Public Health noted the small increase in three of the sublineages that are being tracked because of their immune-evading properties, the new sublineages currently circulating are increasing slowly and not yet crowding out BA.5.

Lastly, in Europe, as of Sept. 30, it’s estimated that of the variants of concern, BA.4/BA.5 accounted for more than 98% of cases across 13 countries, just under 1% of cases was estimated to be BA.2, and .8% was detected as BA.2.75.

“I send my deepest sympathies and wishes of peace and comfort to the many families who have lost a loved one from COVID-19,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “For so many of us who are already fully vaccinated and boosted with one or more doses, it may be confusing to hear that we need another booster. While the original vaccines do continue to provide significant protection against severe illness and death, it is important to know that these early vaccines may provide less protection against the transmission of the virus. For the county’s vulnerable residents who are 65 and older, it is especially important to get the new, updated Fall booster. Keeping older and more vulnerable residents safe also means testing before gathering indoors and staying away if we are sick. With the cooler weather and Fall holidays, many more of us will be staying indoors, gathering with others, or traveling, so it is still practical to follow all health safety measures.”

A wide range of data and dashboards on COVID-19 from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health are available on the Public Health website at http://www.publichealth.lacounty.gov.

To keep workplaces and schools open, residents and workers are asked to:

– Get tested to help reduce the spread, especially if you traveled for the holidays, have had a possible exposure, or have symptoms, or are gathering with people not in your household

– Adhere to masking requirements when indoors or at crowded outdoor spaces, regardless of vaccination status

– Residents are legally required to be isolated if they have a positive COVID test result and vaccinated close contacts with symptoms and unvaccinated close contacts need to be quarantined.

For information on where you can get tested, please visit www.covid19.lacounty.gov/testing/.

For updated isolation and quarantine guidance, please visit www.publichealth.lacounty.gov.

COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective and are recommended for everyone 5 years old and older to help protect against COVID-19. Vaccinations are always free and open to eligible residents and workers regardless of immigration status. Appointments are not needed at all Public Health vaccination sites and many community sites where first, second, and third doses are available.

To find a vaccination site near you, or to make an appointment, please visit:

www.VaccinateLACounty.com (English) or

www.VacunateLosAngeles.com (Spanish).

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.

Schools Community Dashboard

Student Dashboard

Staff Dashboard

Santa Clarita Valley Friday Update

As of 4 p.m. Friday, the L.A. County Public Health dashboard reported no additional deaths leaving the total number of deaths from COVID-19 in the SCV at 503.

The following is the community breakdown per L.A. County’s dashboard:

Santa Clarita: 408

Castaic: 32

Acton: 18

Stevenson Ranch: 16

Unincorporated Canyon Country: 10

Agua Dulce: 6

Val Verde: 3 (revised from 4)

Valencia: 2

Unincorporated Bouquet Canyon: 2

Elizabeth Lake: 3

Newhall: 1

Unincorporated Saugus/Canyon Country: 1

Lake Hughes: 1
 

SCV Cases

Of the 91,126 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

Santa Clarita: 67,306

Castaic: 9,104

Stevenson Ranch: 5,431

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 3,306

Acton: 1,829

Val Verde: 999

Agua Dulce: 923

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 863

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 405

Elizabeth Lake: 250

Bouquet Canyon: 191

Lake Hughes: 192

Saugus/Canyon Country: 106

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 100

Sand Canyon: 57

San Francisquito/Bouquet Canyon: 42

Placerita Canyon: 22

*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.

California Thursday

The California Department of Public Health now updates their numbers on Thursdays. The information below is from the most recent data released Thursday, Oct.6.

Statewide COVID-19 Data

Rates of cases, hospitalizations and deaths are highest among unvaccinated individuals and lowest among boosted individuals. This is true for all age groups. See additional data for unvaccinated and vaccinated cases, hospitalizations, and deaths [here].

Vaccinations

– 81,777,386 total vaccines administered.

– 80.5% of the population has been vaccinated with at least one dose.

– 76,821 people a day are receiving COVID-19 vaccination (average daily dose count over 7 days).

Cases

– California has 10,437,463 confirmed cases to date.

– Thursday’s average case count is 3,336 (average daily case count over 7 days).

– During August 2022, unvaccinated people were 2.7 times more likely to get COVID-19 than people who were vaccinated with at least a primary series.

Testing

– The testing positivity rate is 4.7% (average rate over 7 days).

Hospitalizations

– There are 1,870 hospitalizations statewide.

– There are 247 ICU patients statewide.

– During August 2022, unvaccinated people were 3.0 times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 than people who were vaccinated with at least a primary series.

Deaths

– There have been 95,414 COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

– COVID-19 claims the lives of 22 Californians each day (average daily death count over 7 days).

– During August 2022, unvaccinated people were 3.3 times more likely to die from COVID-19 than people who were vaccinated with at least a primary series.

Health Care Workers

As of Oct. 5, local health departments have reported 181,313 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 589 deaths statewide.

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)

As of Sept. 12, there have been 1014 cases 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.

Updated Testing Requirements for Visitors to Health Care Facilities

Beginning Saturday, Sept. 17, visitors to health care facilities, such as skilled nursing facilities and general acute care hospitals, will no longer be required to be tested or show proof of vaccination in order to visit loved ones. Visitors must continue to comply with CDPH Masking Guidance while visiting loved ones indoors in these settings.

Facilities should continue to maintain all current infection prevention practices to protect the vulnerable populations in health care facilities. In addition, they should continue to offer testing for visitors per recommendations from CDPH and/or the local public health department and have the ability to ramp up testing if it is required again at a future date.

In August, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in updated testing guidance, indicated screening testing is no longer recommended in general community settings. Therefore, CDPH has also updated COVID-19 testing guidance.

Preparing for a Healthy 2022-23 School Year

The Safe Schools for All Hub consolidates key resources and information related to COVID-19 and schools.

Learn more about the COVID-19 mitigation strategies to keep students, staff, and communities safe in the 2022-23 K-12 Schools Guidance.

Get more information on changes to COVID-19 testing strategies for the 2022-23 school year in the 2022-23 K-12 Schools Testing Framework.

The CDPH Testing Taskforce School Testing team has released a 2022-2023 K-12 Schools Testing Framework Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).

Additional Updates

Mask Guidance: Under California’s mask guidance, universal masking is required only in specified higher risk settings like hospitals, public transit and congregate living facilities. Unvaccinated persons are required to mask in all indoor public settings. Fully vaccinated individuals are recommended to continue indoor masking when the risk may be high. Workplaces will continue to follow the COVID-19 prevention standards set by CalOSHA. Local health jurisdictions may implement requirements that are stricter than state guidance.

Slow the Spread: Get Vaccinated and Boosted for COVID-19

The risk for COVID-19 exposure and infection continues as a number of Californians remain unvaccinated and unboosted.

Real-world evidence continues to show that the vaccine is preventing severe illness, hospitalization, and death. Public health officials urge Californians to get vaccinated and boosted as soon as possible.

It is recommended that every individual six months of age and older receive their primary COVID-19 vaccine series and booster dose.

It is recommended that every vaccinated person 12 years or older should get a booster as long as they received their second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine at least five months ago or they received their Johnson & Johnson vaccine at least two months ago.

Vaccination appointments can be made by visiting myturn.ca.gov or calling 1-833-422-4255. The consent of a parent or legal guardian may be needed for those under age 18 to receive a vaccination. Visit Vaccinate All 58 to learn more about the safe and effective vaccines available for all Californians 5+.

Your Actions Save Lives

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

Keep California Healthy
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.

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

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.