The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed 25 new deaths throughout L.A. County, 1,534 new cases countywide and 34 new cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.

The county is currently reporting an average of 23 deaths per day, an increase of 15% from the average of 20 deaths reported per day a week ago.

This new data brings Los Angeles County death totals to 34,969, county case totals to 3,659,260 and Santa Clarita Valley case totals to 97,284 since March of 2020. SCV deaths from COVID-19 remain at 535.

The 7-day average positivity rate is 9.43%.

There are 1,053 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized. Testing results are available for more than 12,852,693 individuals, with 25% of people testing positive.

The 7-day average case count in the county is 1,776, a 15% decrease from one week ago when the 7-day average of 2,111 cases was reported. And over the past seven days, the average number of daily COVID-positive patients in Los Angeles County hospitals is 1,114, a decline of about 11% from last week when the average number of COVID-positive patients per day was 1,247.

Seniors, People Living in High Poverty Areas Remain Disproportionately Impacted by COVID-19

Most COVID-19 metrics, except for the sobering rise in deaths, are better than anticipated at this point in the post-holiday season and when compared to past winters. The absence of a post winter holiday spike in cases and hospitalizations may reflect the new tools available to blunt the impact of COVID, and the preventative health measures taken by residents and workers.

Los Angeles County remains in the Medium Community level, with a case rate of 122 new cases per 100,000 people and a hospital admission rate of 11.9 per 100,000 people.

Yet despite these promising trendlines, some individuals are at significantly greater risk for serious outcomes should they become infected.

Hospitalization rates for people 80 and older are nearly three times higher than for people 65- to 79-years-old in Los Angeles County, according to the most recent 90-day data. And the death rate for that same age group is nearly five times higher when compared to people ages 65 to 79.

In addition, when compared to people ages 50 to 64, residents who are 65- to 79-years-old have hospitalization rates that are more than three times higher, and the number of deaths per 100,000 people is more than five times higher.

Residents who live in communities with high rates of poverty also are disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. Many are part of our essential workforce who, by the very nature of their jobs, are in close contact with other workers and customers, increasing their exposure to COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses, particularly during times of high community transmission.

Hospitalization and death rates are nearly double for people living in the county’s poorest neighborhoods, where more than 30 percent of households live in poverty, compared to those residing in the wealthiest neighborhoods, according to data for the 90-day period ending Jan. 3.

To help minimize the impact of COVID-19, especially on the most vulnerable family, friends and community members, here are a few other simple steps everyone can take to protect themselves, the people they love and their community:

Vaccinations and Boosters: Being up to date on vaccinations and boosters is essential. The updated bivalent booster is readily available at Public Health sites, pharmacies, and other locations across the county. Seniors and residents who can’t easily leave their home may contact Public Health telehealth services at (833) 540-0473, seven days a week, from 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. to arrange for at-home COVID-19 bivalent booster and primary series vaccinations or transportation to a vaccination center. Residents also may go to VaccinateLACounty.com or VacunateLosAngeles.com (en español).

Masking: Wear a high-quality, well-fitting mask (such as N95s, KN95s, and KN94s) in public indoor spaces. Mask for 10 days after engaging in high-risk activities, such as traveling, attending large gatherings, or being exposed to a confirmed case. Ten days is the average incubation period of COVID-19 when the virus can spread before a person has symptoms.

Testing: Testing at home is critical before gatherings, after a known exposure to the virus, or if experiencing symptoms. For more information go to ph.lacounty.gov/COVIDtests. Each household can receive four free tests from the federal government by visiting COVIDtests.gov.

Treatment: If you have possible symptoms of COVID-19 or flu, speak to a health care provider to see if you are eligible for a therapeutics prescription. To be effective, Paxlovid for COVID should be started within five days of symptom onset and Tamiflu, to treat influenza or flu, should be started withing two days of first symptoms.

Providers are available to answer questions about symptoms, give advice, and prescribe medications if appropriate, which can be shipped to a resident’s home, via telehealth services. This service is available seven days a week, from 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., by calling the Public Health Call Center at 1-833-540-0473. For additional COVID treatment options, visit a local test to treat site. Locations can be found at ph.lacounty.gov/covidmedicines

“I offer my sincere condolences to families and friends who continue to be impacted by COVID-19 and the death of a loved one,” said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, Ph.D., M.P.H., M.Ed., director of the county Department of Public Health. “Every day we strive to make choices that are best for us, our families, and the communities we live in. The pandemic is not over; however, we have likely entered a new phase as we make use of all the advancements in vaccines, testing, and therapeutics. Lower transmission protects everyone, especially those who are more vulnerable to severe illness or death. There may be challenges ahead, but I am encouraged by the current situation, especially compared to last year at this time. And I remain grateful for the many people of L.A. County taking steps to minimize the disease’s impact.”

L.A. County is reporting declines in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations and increases in deaths.

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.

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 including:

COVID-19 Daily Data (cases, deaths, testing, testing positivity rate, mortality rate, and hospitalizations)

Gender, Age, Race/Ethnicity and City/Community Cases and Deaths

Contact Tracing Metrics

Skilled Nursing Facility Metrics

Citations due to Health Officer Order Noncompliance

Outbreaks:

Residential Congregate Settings

Non-Residential Settings

Homeless Service Settings

Always check with trusted sources for the latest accurate information about novel coronavirus:

Los Angeles County Department of Public Health: http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus/

California Department of Public Health:

https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/Immunization/nCOV2019.aspx

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

Spanish https://espanol.cdc.gov/enes/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

World Health Organization https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus

L.A. County residents can also call 2-1-1

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 in the SCV at 535.

NOTE: As of Dec. 20, 2022, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health switched to a new geocoding process to improve the accuracy and completeness of geocoded data. Geocoding is the process of assigning an address to specific geographic coordinates (latitude/longitude). As a result, approximately 1,500 cases (0.04%) were removed from the cumulative count as they were determined to be out of jurisdiction with the improved geocoding. The switch to this improved process also resulted in minor changes to cumulative case/death counts by Supervisor District, Service Planning Area, city/community, and area poverty categories.

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

Santa Clarita: 436

Castaic: 30 (revised from 33)

Acton: 18 (revised from 19)

Stevenson Ranch: 17

Unincorporated Canyon Country: 10

Agua Dulce: 7

Elizabeth Lake: 4

Val Verde: 6

Valencia: 2

Unincorporated Bouquet Canyon: 2

Newhall: 1

Unincorporated Saugus/Canyon Country: 1

Lake Hughes: 1

SCV Cases

Of the 97,284 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

Santa Clarita: 71,849

Castaic: 9,453

Stevenson Ranch: 5,844

Canyon Country: 3,682

Acton: 1,982

Val Verde: 1,200

Agua Dulce: 972

Valencia: 923

Saugus: 337

Elizabeth Lake: 284

Bouquet Canyon: 201

Lake Hughes: 200

Saugus/Canyon Country: 124

Newhall: 105

Sand Canyon: 60

San Francisquito: 44

Placerita Canyon: 24

*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 Thursdays. The information below is from the most recent data released Thursday, Jan. 12.

Vaccinations

– 87,315,550 total vaccines administered.

– 72.5% of the population has been vaccinated with a primary series.

– 28,907 people a day are receiving COVID-19 vaccination (average daily dose count over 7 days).

Cases

– California has 10,972,516 confirmed cases to date.

– Average case count is 5,745 (average daily case count over 7 days).

– During November 2022, unvaccinated people were 2.3 times more likely to get COVID-19 than people who were vaccinated with at least a primary series.

Testing

The testing positivity rate is 8.7% (average rate over 7 days).

Hospitalizations

– There are 4,025 hospitalizations statewide.

– There are 483 ICU patients statewide.

– During November 2022, unvaccinated people were 2.5 times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 than people who were vaccinated with at least a primary series.

Deaths

– There have been 98,393 COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

– COVID-19 claims the lives of 35 Californians each day (average daily death count over 7 days).

– During November 2022, unvaccinated people were 2.9 times more likely to die from COVID-19 than people who were vaccinated with at least a primary series.

Health Care Workers

As of Jan. 11, local health departments have reported 189,081 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 602 deaths statewide.

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)

As of Dec. 19, there have been 1,048 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 Boosters for Children
California Health & Human Services and CDPH sent a statement on Oct. 13, 2022 on the expanded eligibility for the updated Moderna and Pfizer boosters. Eligibility for the updated Moderna booster now extends to individuals 6 years of age and older and eligibility for the updated Pfizer booster now extends to individuals 5 years of age and older. This statement follows the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendation and has the support of the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup.

Changes to Definition of Close Contact
CDPH is revising the definition of close contact related to COVID-19. The update, in keeping with the state’s SMARTER plan, provides strategies for responding to direct and indirect COVID-19 exposure in indoor environments, and aligns with the most current science, data, and information. These changes take effect Friday, Oct. 14, 2022.

The amended order can be viewed here, as well as a Q&A.

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.