The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed 19 new deaths throughout L.A. County, 3,995 new cases countywide and 112 new cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.

This new data brings Los Angeles County death totals to 32,922, county case totals to 3,351,082 and Santa Clarita Valley case totals to 87,950, with 492 total SCV deaths from COVID-19 since March of 2020.

There are 1,065 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized. Testing results are available for more than 12,392,466 individuals, with 24% of people testing positive.

Of the 19 new deaths reported today, one person was between the ages of 30-49, three people were between the ages of 50-64, six people were between the ages of 65-79, and eight people were aged 80 years or older. For information on the one death reported by the City of Long Beach, visit longbeach.gov. Of the 19 newly reported deaths, 17 had underlying health conditions.

Today’s positivity rate is 11.1%.

County Metrics Improve, Residents Urged to Continue Sensible Precautions

Over the past week, Los Angeles County’s COVID-19 metrics improved enough to move the county back to the medium Community Level on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 framework. While Public Health is greatly encouraged by the decline in cases, hospital admissions and deaths, because viral transmission remains high, there are still thousands of new people each day who are infected and capable of infecting others.

The high rate of transmission continues to be driven by the Omicron variant, which accounts for 100% of sequenced specimens. The highly infectious BA.5 subvariant of Omicron continues to be, by far, the most predominant subvariant. In the week ending July 23, BA.5 comprised 80% of all sequenced county specimens. With only slight increases in the percentage of BA.5 specimens recently sequenced, it is possible that we may be experiencing a saturation of our population with this subvariant. While we are carefully tracking other subvariants of interest (including BA.2.75 and BA.4.6), we have no indication at the moment of any new variant that is spreading.

The 7-day average case count has fallen to 3,660 cases today, a 22% decrease from 4,719 cases a week prior. The 7-day average test positivity rate this past week is 11.1%, a decrease from 12.5% one week ago.

Over the last seven days, the average number of COVID-positive patients per day in LA County hospitals was 1,112, a decline of 9% from one week ago when the 7-day average number of COVID-positive patients per day was 1,222. Also, the LA County daily hospital admissions rate is now 9.9 admissions per 100,000 people, a small decline from to 10.1 admissions per 100,000 people one week ago.

Deaths, which typically lag hospitalizations by several weeks, are beginning to drop, with an average of 14 deaths reported per day this week. One week prior, there was an average of 17 deaths reported per day.

Yesterday, the CDC revised its guidelines and recommendations for residents to protect themselves and others from COVID-19. These revisions largely align with already established L.A. County guidelines that require anyone testing positive in L.A. County to remain isolated away from others for a minimum of five days. In L.A. County, a person with COVID-19 can exit isolation on or after Day 6 if they have had no fever for 24 hours, their symptoms are improving, and a test taken on Day 5 or later is negative. Those exiting isolation Day 6-Day 10 should continue to wear a well-fitting mask whenever around others. Isolation can end after Day 10 as long as there has been no fever for 24 hours. Visit ph.lacounty.gov/covidisolation for more information.

With many testing at home, and results not reported to Public Health, those who test positive should notify anyone they were in close contact with in the 48 hours prior to their positive test result or COVID symptoms, whichever was first. Close contacts in L.A. County are not required to quarantine provided they have no symptoms, test within 3-5 days of their exposure, and wear a well-fitting mask for 10 days from their last exposure to the confirmed case.

“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. “While we are thankful to see our county move to the medium community level, because we know that getting infected causes disruptions at the workplace and in the family and for some, becoming infected leads to debilitating illness, we advise caution, and ongoing use of a sensible approach for reducing the risk of exposure and preventing severe illness. All tools available help: getting vaccinated and boosted reduces risk of severe illness, testing before and after gathering, wearing masks when indoors, and staying home and away from others when sick reduces transmission.”

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

The Hart Community and District Dashboard was not available for Aug. 12.

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 492.

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

Santa Clarita: 402

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 87,950 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

Santa Clarita: 64,927

Castaic: 8,853

Stevenson Ranch: 5,191

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 3,194

Acton: 1,762

Val Verde: 972

Agua Dulce: 897

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 842

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 389

Elizabeth Lake: 240

Bouquet Canyon: 184

Lake Hughes: 182

Saugus/Canyon Country: 105

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 97

Sand Canyon: 56

San Francisquito/Bouquet Canyon: 41

Placerita Canyon: 18

*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, Aug. 12.

Vaccinations

– 79,191,867 total vaccines administered.

– 79.9% of the eligible population (5+) has been vaccinated with at least one dose.

– 28,723 people a day are receiving COVID-19 vaccination (average daily dose count over 7 days).

Cases

– California has 10,104,761 confirmed cases to date.

– Friday’s average case count is 12,265 (average daily case count over 7 days).

– Unvaccinated people are 6.9 times more likely to get COVID-19 than boosted individuals (July 11, 2022 – July 17, 2022).

Testing

– The testing positivity rate is 12.9% (average rate over 7 days).

Hospitalizations

– There are 3,988 hospitalizations statewide.

– There are 457 ICU patients statewide.

– Unvaccinated people are 11.7 times more likely to be hospitalized than boosted individuals (July 11, 2022 – July 17, 2022).

Deaths

– There have been 93,378 COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

– COVID-19 claims the lives of 34 Californians each day (average daily death count over 7 days).

– Unvaccinated people are 11.2 times more likely to die than boosted individuals (July 4, 2022 – July 10, 2022).

Health Care Workers

As of Aug. 11, local health departments have reported 176,355 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 588 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 31 to Aug. 6, the average time patients waited for test results was 0.8 day. During this same time period, 88% of patients received test results in one day and 97% received them within two days.

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)

As of Aug. 11, 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.