The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed 15 new deaths throughout L.A. County, 2,228 new cases countywide and 70 new cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.

This new data brings Los Angeles County death totals to 33,348, county case totals to 3,425,863 and Santa Clarita Valley case totals to 90,015, with 499 total SCV deaths from COVID-19 since March of 2020.

There are 765 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized.

Testing results are available for more than 12,499,068 individuals, with 24% of people testing positive.

Of the 15 new deaths reported today, one person was between the ages of 30-49, four people were between the ages of 65-79, and eight people were aged 80 years or older. Information on the two deaths reported by the City of Long Beach, visit longbeach.gov. Of the 15 newly reported deaths, 13 had underlying health conditions.

Today’s positivity rate is 6.3%.

Isolation and Quarantine Guidelines Can Help Reduce Disruptions at Schools

Reducing disruptions at schools is easier when COVID-19 community transmission is lower. As Los Angeles County continues to experience fewer cases and hospitalizations, spread of the virus can be further decreased when those infected or exposed adhere to isolation, testing, and masking guidance.

Similar to requirements for the general population, students and staff with COVID-19 can end isolation after day five if: a COVID-19 test on day five or later is negative, there is no fever for at least 24 hours without fever-reducing medicine, and existing symptoms have subsided or are improving. Those with a known exposure can continue their customary activities, including attending school and extracurricular activities, provided they are asymptomatic, have a negative test between days three to five, and wear a mask when around others indoors.

The county has continued to report improved COVID-19 metrics. The 7-day average case count in the county is 1,745, a 28% decline from one week ago when an average of 2,438 cases were reported.

Over the past seven days, the average number of daily COVID-positive patients in L.A. County hospitals was 772, a 5% decline from one week ago when the average number of daily COVID-positive patients per day was 813.

Deaths, which typically lag hospitalizations by several weeks, have started to decrease slightly to an average of 11 deaths reported each day this past week, compared to an average of 13 daily reported deaths one week ago.

And the 7-day average test positivity rate is 6.3% over the past week, down from one week ago when it was 7.1%.

The county’s lower transmission rate is reflected on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 Community Level framework, which measures COVID-19 stress on the hospital system. The county is in the second week of the Low Community Level, with a weekly case rate of 159 cases per 100,000, a hospital admission rate of 7.8 new admissions per 100,000 people, and 4.6% of total hospital admissions among COVID-19 patients.

The Omicron variant continues to account for 100% of sequenced specimens in the county, with the BA.5 subvariant of Omicron as the predominant subvariant. For the week ending Aug. 20, 95% of all sequenced specimens were BA.5. The CDC has reported an increase in the BA.4.6 sublineage of Omicron across the country, especially in the Midwest, estimating that 8.4% of sequenced specimens were BA.4.6 as of Sept. 3. However, BA.4.6 has remained at very low levels in L.A. County, and for the week ending Aug. 20, the most recent data available, BA.4.6 accounted for 1.4% of specimens.

Since schools reopened in August, the number of clusters of three or more linked cases and outbreaks declined last week after a month of steady increases. For the week ending Sept. 3 there were 309 reported clusters of three or more cases, nearly a 31% decrease from the week prior when 446 clusters of cases were reported. There has also been a total of 926 school clusters reported that involved more than 6,000 individuals, of which 5,702 were students.

Also, in the month since schools reopened, 63 outbreaks have been documented in schools, with 36 reported in elementary schools, 12 reported in middle schools, 10 associated with youth sports programs, and four reported at high schools.

“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. “As the new school year is underway, it’s important for all students and staff to follow isolation and quarantine guidelines when they are infected or are exposed to someone with COVID-19. With a highly transmissible variant, continued concerns related to mortality, reinfections and long-COVID, and tens of thousands of vulnerable residents, taking sensible steps to avoid infecting others remains important. We know how quickly one case can infect others, creating clusters and outbreaks in classrooms, sports teams, and other settings. When everyone looks out for each other by staying home when ill and masking indoors when exiting isolation early and when identified as a close contact, there are likely to be fewer disruptions at schools and worksites.”

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 499.

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

Santa Clarita: 406

Castaic: 32

Acton: 18

Stevenson Ranch: 15

Unincorporated Canyon Country: 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 90,015 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

Santa Clarita: 66,484

Castaic: 9,030

Stevenson Ranch: 5,326

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 3,262

Acton: 1,803

Val Verde: 993

Agua Dulce: 912

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 856

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 400

Elizabeth Lake: 248

Bouquet Canyon: 190

Lake Hughes: 186

Saugus/Canyon Country: 105

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 100

Sand Canyon: 57

San Francisquito/Bouquet Canyon: 41

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 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 Friday, Sept. 9.

Vaccinations

– 79,697,832 total vaccines administered.

– 80.2% of the eligible population (5+) has been vaccinated with at least one dose.

– 7,588 people a day are receiving COVID-19 vaccination (average daily dose count over 7 days).

Cases

– California has 10,329,995 confirmed cases to date.

– Friday’s average case count is 6,338 (average daily case count over 7 days).

– Unvaccinated people are 2.6 times more likely to get COVID-19 than boosted individuals (July 11, 2022 – July 17, 2022).

Testing

– The testing positivity rate is 7.8% (average rate over 7 days).

Hospitalizations

– There are 2,865 hospitalizations statewide.

– There are 370 ICU patients statewide.

– Unvaccinated people are 3.0 times more likely to be hospitalized than boosted individuals (July 11, 2022 – July 17, 2022).

Deaths

– There have been 94,558 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 3.6 times more likely to die than boosted individuals (July 4, 2022 – July 10, 2022).

Health Care Workers

As of Sept. 1, local health departments have reported 179,514 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 589 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 Aug. 28 to Sept. 3, the average time patients waited for test results was 0.7 day. During this same time period, 90% of patients received test results in one day and 97% received them within two days.

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)

As of Sept. 1, there have been 1011 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.

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.