The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed 18 new deaths throughout L.A. County, 6,399 new cases countywide and 163 new cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.

This new data brings Los Angeles County death totals to 32,708, county case totals to 3,292,692 and Santa Clarita Valley case totals to 86,388, with 485 total SCV deaths from COVID-19 since March of 2020.

There are 1,239 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized. Testing results are available for more than 12,332,471 individuals, with 24% of people testing positive.

Of the 18 new deaths reported today, three people were between the ages of 50-64, seven people were between the ages of 65-79, and eight people were aged 80 years or older. Of the 18 newly reported deaths, 17 had underlying health conditions.

Today’s positivity rate is 14.8%.

As CDC Community Level Data Improves, Indoor Masking Strongly Advised to Protect Most Vulnerable Residents

Using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) COVID-19 Community Levels framework, Los Angeles County remains at the high community level this week. However, there are indications that LA County may very soon be moving to the medium community level. Given the latest trends in cases and hospitalizations, Public Health is not instituting universal indoor masking at this time.

LA County’s 7-day case rate, while still elevated at 426 weekly cases per 100,000 people, declined from 481 weekly cases per 100,000 people last week. Using the most recent hospitalization data, LA County is experiencing a rate of 9.7 new hospitalizations for LA County, which suggests that by next Thursday, assuming rates stay stable or decline, CDC will designate LA County at the medium community level.

Although Public Health did not issue a new health officer order to require universal indoor masking because of the improvements in our hospital metrics, given the continued high rate of transmission, wearing masks indoors in public spaces, will reduce risk and limit spread.

As a reminder, masking is still required in many settings throughout the county under the existing state and LA County Health Officer orders.

Masks are required in all health care settings, on public transportation, such as buses and trains, and transit hubs, as well as at long-term care settings, shelters, cooling centers, and correctional facilities. Masks are required for 10 days for anyone recently diagnosed with, or exposed to, COVID-19, when they are around other people.

And while LA County still is in this surge, indoor masking is very strongly advised everywhere else: in shared office spaces, in other work settings like manufacturing, in retail settings (whether you work there or are shopping), indoors at schools, and when you are in any indoor space, unless you are actively eating or drinking.

As a reminder, businesses and institutions are permitted to require indoor masking while people are on their premises, and this remains a sensible action to take during times of high transmission.

“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. “We are gratified to see improvements in our metrics and appreciate all those whose efforts continue to provide protection to those most vulnerable, since, as has been in the past, surges have the most negative consequences on those who are unvaccinated, older, have underlying health conditions, live in communities with high rates of poverty, and have more exposures at work and in the community. As we are hopefully moving to the medium community level, we will need to continue to use common sense safety measures to reduce community transmission to a level that causes less disruption, less illness, and less death. We have great tools and we will need to use them: so please be up-to-date on your vaccinations to reduce your chances of severe illness should you get infected; wear your mask indoors to reduce the spread of an infectious agent at its source, while also protecting the wearer from aerosolized virus and respiratory droplets. Outside remains safer than inside, and when inside maximizing ventilation can help bring in fresh air. Testing is the best way to know your status and prevent unintentional transmission to others and we should get tested whenever we feel sick, have been recently exposed, or before attending gatherings. And for those who end up infected, swift access to therapeutics can make a big difference in preventing severe illness.”

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 in the city of Santa Clarita, leaving the total number of deaths from COVID-19 in the SCV at 485.

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

Santa Clarita: 395

Castaic: 31

Acton: 17

Stevenson Ranch: 15

Unincorporated Canyon Country: 9 (revised from 10)

Agua Dulce: 6

Val Verde: 3 (revised from 4)

Valencia: 2

Unincorporated Bouquet Canyon: 2

Elizabeth Lake: 2

Newhall: 1

unincorporated Saugus/Canyon Country: 1

Lake Hughes: 1
 

SCV Cases

Of the 86,388 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

Santa Clarita: 63,746

Castaic: 8,721

Stevenson Ranch: 5,106

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 3,140

Acton: 1,721

Val Verde: 952

Agua Dulce: 889

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 829

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 381

Elizabeth Lake: 238

Bouquet Canyon: 177

Lake Hughes: 180

Saugus/Canyon Country: 105

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 93

Sand Canyon: 54

San Francisquito/Bouquet Canyon: 39

Placerita Canyon: 17

*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 Friday

The California Department of Public Health now updates their numbers on Tuesday and Friday. The information below is from the most recent data released Tuesday, July 29.

Vaccinations

– 78,762,612 total vaccines administered.

– 79.8% of the eligible population (5+) has been vaccinated with at least one dose.

– 39,986 people a day are receiving COVID-19 vaccination (average daily dose count over 7 days).

Cases

– California has 9,922,718 confirmed cases to date.

– Tuesday’s average case count is 16,914 (average daily case count over 7 days).

– Unvaccinated people are 6.3 times more likely to get COVID-19 than boosted individuals (July 4, 2022 – July 10, 2022).

Testing

– The testing positivity rate is 15.8% (average rate over 7 days).

Hospitalizations

– There are 4,672 hospitalizations statewide.

– There are 546 ICU patients statewide.

– Unvaccinated people are 9.7 times more likely to be hospitalized than boosted individuals (July 4, 2022 – July 10, 2022).

Deaths

– There have been 92,763 COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

– COVID-19 claims the lives of 30 Californians each day (average daily death count over 7 days).

– Unvaccinated people are 9.4 times more likely to die than boosted individuals (June 27, 2022 – July 3, 2022).

Health Care Workers

As of July 28, local health departments have reported 174,084 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 583 deaths statewide.

Testing Turnaround Time

The testing turnaround time dashboard reports how long California patients are waiting for COVID-19 test results. During the week of July 17 to July 23, the average time patients waited for test results was 0.9 day. During this same time period, 86% of patients received test results in one day and 97% received them within two days.

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)

As of July 28, there have been 1010 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.

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.