Los Angeles County Public Health officials on Friday confirmed 26 new deaths and 1,612 new cases of COVID-19 countywide, with 38,631 total cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.

The higher number of cases today reflects a backlog of 390 positive tests from between November 2020 and April 2021.

Of the 26 new deaths reported today, six people who passed away were over the age of 80, nine people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79, eight people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64, and three people who died were between the ages of 30 and 49.

“We send our deepest condolences to the many families and friends grieving the loss of a loved one,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health.

To date, Public Health has identified 1,516,901 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 26,973 deaths.

There are 611 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized, 24% of whom are in the ICU. Testing results are available for nearly 9,310,000 individuals, with 15% of people testing positive. Today’s test positivity rate is 0.9%.

As of Nov. 16, among the nearly 6 million fully vaccinated people in L.A. County, Public Health identified 75,249 people or 1.3%, who were fully vaccinated and tested positive for COVID-19. Of those who tested positive, 2,528 were hospitalized, which translates to 0.041% of all fully vaccinated people. There have been 422 deaths among fully vaccinated people, translating to 0.007% of fully vaccinated people passing away.

Cases in Healthcare Workers Remains Low

With high rates of vaccination, COVID-19 positive healthcare worker cases have remained relatively stable the past four weeks, with 174 new cases reported the week ending November 6.

As of Nov. 18, 46,919 healthcare workers and first responders have tested positive for COVID-19.

To date, 304 healthcare workers have tragically passed away from COVID-19; most deaths occurred between July 2020 and February 2021, with staff at skilled nursing facilities and hospitals accounting for the majority of the deaths.

Since the week of Oct. 24, 2021, one healthcare worker has passed away from COVID-19.

Healthcare workers are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and healthcare workers with an approved medical or religious exemption need to be tested weekly.

Most hospitals and healthcare providers are reporting relatively high rates of vaccination among their employees. Skilled nursing facilities indicated that 96% of staff are fully vaccinated.

The State and licensing divisions are responsible for overall compliance and are planning to have health facility inspectors assess adherence to the Health Officer Order.

Santa Clarita Valley Friday Update

As of 6 p.m. Thursday, the L.A. County Public Health COVID-19 dashboard confirmed a total of 354 COVID-19 related deaths in the SCV since the pandemic began.

The following is the community breakdown of the 354 SCV residents who have died, according to the L.A. County dashboard:

297 in Santa Clarita

21 in Castaic

10 in Acton

8 in Stevenson Ranch

6 in unincorporated Canyon Country

3 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)

Cases:

Of the 38,631 confirmed COVID-19 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 28,333

Castaic: 4,610 (incl. Pitchess Detention Center & North County Correctional Facility*)

Stevenson Ranch: 1,838

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 1,217

Acton: 806

Val Verde: 447

Agua Dulce: 427

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 311

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 173

Elizabeth Lake: 126

Bouquet Canyon: 75

Lake Hughes: 71

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 70

Saugus/Canyon Country: 55

Sand Canyon: 24

San Francisquito/Bouquet Canyon: 22

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.

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:

Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital Friday Update

As of Friday, Nov. 19, Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital currently had zero tests pending, 14 patients in the hospital, a total of 1,642 patients who have been treated and discharged since the pandemic began, and no additional deaths, spokesman Patrick Moody confirmed.

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.

California Friday Snapshot

The following data was released by the California Department of Public Health for Friday, Nov. 19:

Cases, hospitalizations and deaths are largely occurring among unvaccinated populations:

– Unvaccinated people were 6.9 times more likely to get COVID-19 (data from Oct. 31 to Nov. 6, 2021).

– Unvaccinated people were 11.9 times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 (data from Oct. 24, 2021 to Oct. 30, 2021).

– Unvaccinated people were 16.5 times more likely to die from COVID-19 (data from Oct. 17, 2021 to Oct. 23, 2021).

See the data for unvaccinated and vaccinated cases, hospitalizations and deaths.

Cases

– California has 4,758,297 confirmed cases to date.

– Today’s average case count is 4,712 (average daily case count over 7 days).

Hospitalizations

– There are 3,596 hospitalizations statewide.

– There are 951 ICU patients statewide.

Deaths

– There have been 73,000 COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

– COVID-19 claims the lives of 55 Californians each day (average daily death count over 7 days).

Vaccinations

– 56,547,906 total vaccines administered.

– 75.1% of the eligible population (5+) has been vaccinated with at least one dose.

– 183,891 people a day are receiving COVID-19 vaccination (average daily dose count over 7 days).

For more vaccination data, visit the COVID-19 Vaccine Data Dashboard.

Testing

– The testing positivity rate is 2.3% (average rate over 7 days).

Additional Updates

Today, 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 CDC’s recommendation to authorize Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccine boosters for fully vaccinated adults:

“California led the nation in empowering our communities to stay safe and keep their protection against COVID-19 strong during the winter months. The CDC’s recommendation on Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 boosters affirms the state’s approach. All Californians ages 18 and older who received their second dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine six months ago or the J&J vaccine two months ago can get the booster of their choice. Last year’s winter surge was devastating, and we are strongly urging eligible Californians to visit MyTurn.ca.gov or call their health care provider to schedule their booster and flu vaccine appointment today to strengthen their immunity in time for holidays.”

Tips for Protecting Yourself and Others This Holiday Season

Take commonsense steps to protect yourself, your family and your community as you celebrate the holiday season.

See more California information later in this report.

L.A. County Vaccine/Booster Information

Anyone five years and older living or working in L.A. County can get vaccinated. 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 where first, second, and third doses are available.

“While the vaccines continue to provide significant protection against the virus, data now shows that the effectiveness of the vaccine declines enough over time that it is important to get an additional dose to have better protection against the virus. With booster doses currently available to anyone who received their second dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccines at least 6 months ago, or received a Johnson & Johnson vaccine at least two months ago, it is important that healthcare workers and those they care for take advantage of easy access to these additional doses. With 4.8 million residents eligible for boosters, our hope is that many more individuals will be coming in for this additional dose before the Thanksgiving holiday,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health.

Visit: www.VaccinateLACounty.com (English) and www.VacunateLosAngeles.com (Spanish) to learn how to make an appointment at vaccination sites. 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.

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.

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 Nov. 15, there have been 704 cases of 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.

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).

Upgrade your Mask

Good fit and filtration continue to be the best way to get the most out of your mask. The best masks for preventing COVID-19 include the N95, KN95 and KF94. If you don’t have access to one of these masks, wear a surgical mask or a surgical mask with a cloth mask on top. If you choose a fabric mask, opt for one with three of more cloth layers. No matter what kind of mask you wear, check the fit by avoiding gaps above the nose or on the sides.

Tracking COVID-19 in California

* State Dashboard – Daily COVID-19 data

* County Map – Local data

* Data and Tools – Models and dashboards for researchers, scientists, and the public

* 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 Oct. 31 to Nov. 6, the average time patients waited for test results was 1.0 day. During this same time period, 85% of patients received test results in one day and 97% 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.

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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