The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health officials confirmed Friday 16 new deaths and 1,924 new cases of COVID-19 countywide, with 39,689 total cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.

Of the 16 new deaths reported today, six were between the ages of 50 and 64, seven were between the ages of 65-79 and three were over the age of 80 years old. Of the 16 newly reported deaths, all had underlying conditions. To date, the total number of deaths in L.A. County is 27,304.

Public Health has identified a total 1,543,784 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County.

There are 667 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized. Testing results are available for more than 9,565,329 individuals, with 15% of people testing positive. Today’s test positivity rate is 1.2%.

Pfizer Boosters for 16 to 17-Year-Olds

COVID-19 vaccine providers in Los Angeles County are now administering Pfizer booster doses to children 16 and 17 years old after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle P. Walensky affirmed the recommendation by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration to expand the booster eligibility.

Public Health continues to track the emergence of the Omicron variant and is taking steps to address the potential threats that may be posed by the variant, with a focus on protecting those who live in areas where there are higher numbers of cases, hospitalizations, and death rates.

Since vaccine effectiveness wanes over time, Public Health is encouraging residents to get boosted as soon as they are eligible, especially as we prepare for the winter and the potential circulation of Omicron.

Santa Clarita Valley Friday Update
As of 4:30 p.m. Friday, the L.A. County Public Health dashboard was experiencing technical difficulties. The dashboard reported 367 COVID-19 deaths to date in the Santa Clarita Valley as of Thursday.

The following is the community breakdown of the 367 SCV residents who have died, according to the L.A. County dashboard:

301 in Santa Clarita

22 in Castaic

13 in Acton

9 in Stevenson Ranch

7 in unincorporated Canyon Country

5 in Agua Dulce

3 in Val Verde

2 in Valencia

1 in unincorporated Bouquet Canyon

1 in Elizabeth Lake

1 in Newhall

1 in unincorporated Saugus/Canyon Country

0 in Lake Hughes (**revised from 1)

SCV Cases

Of the 39,689 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

Santa Clarita:29,153

Castaic:4,670

Stevenson Ranch:1,910

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion):1,249

Acton:843

Val Verde:456

Agua Dulce:444

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5):317

Saugus (unincorporated portion):182

Elizabeth Lake:128

Bouquet Canyon:83

Lake Hughes:77

Newhall (Unincorporated portion):70

Saugus/Canyon Country:55

Sand Canyon:24

San Francisquito/Bouquet Canyon:23

Placerita Canyon:5

*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

According to early data from around the world, people who have received booster doses have better protection from Omicron infection than those who have received only a primary vaccine series.

Additionally, we have seen strong evidence from L.A. County showing boosters are an effective way to protect yourself: Between Nov. 23 and 29, people who had received both a primary vaccine series and a booster had six-fold more protection from infection than did people who had received the primary vaccine series alone (seven-day cumulative rates: 7 cases/100,000 vs. 43 cases/100,000). Unsurprisingly, unvaccinated people were at the highest risk over the same period of time, with a seven-day cumulative infection rate of 165 cases/100,000.

During times of high Covid transmission, differences in outcomes between more and less vulnerable groups have historically widened, with vulnerable populations experiencing more severe outcomes as transmission rises.

In response, the Community Health Workers Initiative aims to narrow these gaps by reaching out to residents and business in high-need communities to provide them with critical information about COVID-19 vaccinations.

Community health workers also provide residents with culturally relevant education on steps they can take to slow the spread of the virus, which include getting vaccinated or boosted, getting tested, and adhering to masking requirements.

These trusted community-based messengers provide culturally respectful information about COVID-19, and vaccinations, answer questions and connect residents to resources. To accomplish this, they often share first-person stories about overcoming vaccination hesitation and local data and information on COVID cases and vaccination rates.

To date, the Community Health Worker program has reached more than 2 million residents throughout the county. Between May 1st and November 14th, 2021, community health workers completed a total of 315,769 outreach activities, and facilitated over 7,538 vaccination appointments for residents across the county.

Additionally, between September 28th and November 13th, the program conducted outreach in 26 different block groups across Pomona in partnership with Fulgent. Outreach to those 26 blocks included visits to 5,333 homes, reaching 1,445 residents. Of these, 962 indicated they were fully vaccinated. Overall,128 vaccines and 45 COVID-19 tests were administered through this outreach effort.

“Increasing trust in vaccination among people who have not yet been vaccinated requires sensitivity to the information needs of people who have often lacked good reasons to trust public health and medical providers,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “Community health workers often represent credible messengers in neighborhoods and among populations with historically low access to health-affirming resources: nearly one in 10 community members reached through these initiatives over 6 weeks this fall accepted vaccination, and thousands more were provided with educational materials and resources in encounters that we hope will help build faith in public health efforts.”

Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital

Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital reported zero tests pending, 15 patients in the hospital, and a total of 1,667 patients who have been treated and discharged since the pandemic began, and no additional deceased, spokesman Patrick Moody confirmed.

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.

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.

Student Dashboard

Staff Dashboard

California Friday Update

Joint Statement: Expanded Eligibility for Pfizer Boosters

California Health and Human Services Agency Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly, and Director of the California Department of Public Health and State Public Health Officer Dr. Tomás J. Aragón, issued a joint statement on the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup’s recommendation to expand eligibility for Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 booster dose to 16- and 17-year-olds at least six months after completing their primary vaccination series.

“Vaccines are how we get through this pandemic, and that includes boosters. With thousands of Californians getting boosted each day, this eligibility expansion will ensure even more of our loved ones can get protected against COVID-19 and avoid serious illness, hospitalization, and death. The state has ample vaccine supply – don’t wait, schedule your booster appointment today.”

While Californians are encouraged to enjoy some sense of normalcy this holiday season, now is not the time to let our guard down. Californians should continue to practice the safety basics – wear a mask with good fit and filtration indoors, get tested if you’re exposed to the virus or have symptoms, and stay home when sick.

MyTurn.ca.gov is currently being updated to reflect the expanded eligibility. Parents and guardians are encouraged to check with their teen’s health care provider to schedule their booster appointment. For the latest information on the Omicron variant go to CDPH.ca.gov and to find a COVID-19 testing site, call (833) 422-4255 or visit your local county public health website.

CDHP Cases and More

Cases, hospitalizations and deaths are largely occurring among unvaccinated populations. See the data for unvaccinated and vaccinated cases, hospitalizations and deaths.

– Unvaccinated people were 7.1 times more likely to get COVID-19 (data from Nov. 21, 2021 to Nov. 27, 2021).

– Unvaccinated people were 12.5 times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 (data from Nov. 14, 2021 to Nov. 20, 2021).

– Unvaccinated people were 13.0 times more likely to die from COVID-19 (data from Nov. 7, 2021 to Nov. 13, 2021).

Vaccinations

– 60,762,529 total vaccines administered.

– 77.4% of the eligible population (5+) has been vaccinated with at least one dose.

– 222,837 people a day are receiving COVID-19 vaccination (average daily dose count over 7 days).

Cases

– California has 4,867,604 confirmed cases to date.

– Today’s average case count is 4,909 (average daily case count over 7 days).

Testing

– The testing positivity rate is 2.7% (average rate over 7 days).

Hospitalizations

– There are 3,651 hospitalizations statewide.

– There are 880 ICU patients statewide.

Deaths

– There have been 74,509 COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

– COVID-19 claims the lives of 50 Californians each day (average daily death count over 7 days).

Omicron Variant

The recent emergence of the Omicron variant emphasizes the importance of getting a vaccine, booster and taking prevention efforts needed to protect against COVID-19.

As of Dec. 9, 2021, 18 confirmed cases associated with the Omicron variant have been reported to the state. This number will be updated weekly with the other variants California is currently monitoring on this webpage.

For more information about the variant, see the Omicron variant fact sheet.

Testing Turnaround Time

The testing turnaround time dashboard reports how long California patients are waiting for COVID-19 test results. During the week of Nov.28 to Dec. 4, the average time patients waited for test results was 1.0 day. During this same time period, 75% of patients received test results in one day and 97% received them within two days.

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)

As of Dec. 6, there have been 731 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.

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

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.

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.