The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed four new deaths throughout L.A. County, 2,550 new cases countywide, with 98 new cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.

This new data brings Los Angeles County death totals to 31,959, county case totals to 2,872,203 and Santa Clarita Valley case totals to 73,816, with 470 total SCV deaths from COVID-19 since March of 2020.

There are 253 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized. Testing results are available for more than 11,847,700 individuals, with 22% of people testing positive.

Today’s positivity rate is 1.8%.

Data is by date reported by DPH, but does not necessarily represent the date of testing, hospitalization, or death.

Early Alert Signals Remind Us of the Need for Caution

With L.A. County experiencing a high rate of transmission and cases steadily rising, Public Health encourages residents to use caution to avoid getting infected with COVID and transmitting it to others.

Public Health continues to monitor community-wide and sector-specific indicators for early alerts that transmission and risk may be increasing. This week, although all of the County’s Early Alert Signals are of Low Concern except for the percentage of specimens sequenced that are identified as a new variant or subvariant of concern, many metrics are trending in the wrong direction.

The highly contagious Omicron BA.2 subvariant is now identified in 88% of recent L.A. County samples, a slight increase from the prior week. Nationally, the BA.2 subvariant is the predominant lineage, although there is increasing circulation of a newly identified sub-lineage strain: BA.2.12.1. For the week ending April 2, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that BA.2 accounted for 68% of sequenced specimens in the U.S., with BA.2.12.1 accounting for approximately 29% of sequenced samples for that week. The BA.2.12.1 sublineage is also estimated to be 20-30% more transmissible than BA.2, and it could quickly become the nation’s dominant strain.

In L.A. County, 7% of sequenced specimens were identified as BA.2.12.1 for the week ending April 9, up from 3% for the prior seven-day period. The California Department of Public Health, through modeling estimates, anticipates that BA.2.12.1 will account for 50% of positive cases in California within a few days.

Increasing concentrations of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in wastewater across L.A. County indicate rising community transmission. Public Health is monitoring wastewater concentration for four sewer systems across the county. At three sewer systems: Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts, Joint Water Pollution Control Plant; Los Angeles City Sanitation and Environment Agency; and Los Angeles County Sanitation District’s Lancaster sewer system, there’s been a steady rise in average wastewater SARS-CoV-2 concentration. Las Virgenes Municipal Water Districts, whose wastewater surveillance covers part of the West Valley near the Ventura County border, has not recently seen a steady increase.

Outbreaks in congregate living situations, such as Skilled Nursing Facilities and among people experiencing homelessness, can signal that action is needed to protect staff and residents, many of whom may be particularly vulnerable to severe COVID-19 illness.

While not yet a cause for significant concern, outbreaks at skilled nursing and sites serving people experiencing homelessness, have recently started to rise. For the latest seven-day reporting period ending April 26, there were six new outbreaks in Skilled Nursing Facilities and 10 new outbreaks at sites serving people experiencing homelessness, nine of which are in sheltered environments.

This week, Public Health has seen a doubling of reports from worksites with clusters of cases when compared to the prior week. Among the 82 cluster reports received between April 20 and April 26, the top three sectors represented were Manufacturing, Retail Trade and Information, which together accounted for 55% of total cluster reports. Among subsectors, the top four industries were Food and Beverage Stores, Electronics and Appliance Stores, Transportation Equipment Manufacturing and Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries.

TK-12 schools are also experiencing small increases in outbreaks. For the seven-day period ending April 19, there were six new classroom outbreaks opened, all in elementary schools. This is double the number opened the prior week and is nearing the threshold for increased concern, which is eight new classroom-based outbreaks opened in the past seven days.

“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. “During this period of high transmission and the potential for more infectious variants, one of the best and easiest safety measures is to wear a well-fitting, high filtration mask or respirator when indoors around others. This is especially true if someone is at higher risk for severe illness, or they live or they work with someone who is at elevated risk. The fact is that when people wear a well-fitting mask or respirator, they protect themselves and those around them. Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have all had to make choices about how to best protect ourselves and others from COVID-19. With cases on the rise, the potential for more contagious variants, and lots of opportunities to be exposed, this is a great time to make a choice to get vaccinated or boosted and to wear a mask or respirator when indoors around others.”

Today, Public Health reported four additional deaths and 2,550 new positive cases of COVID-19. Of the four new deaths reported today, three were between the ages of 65-79, and one person was over the aged 80 years or older. Of the four newly reported deaths, all had underlying health conditions. To date, the total number of deaths in L.A. County is 31,959.

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.

Student Dashboard

Staff Dashboard

Santa Clarita Valley Friday Update
As of 4 p.m. Friday, the L.A. County Public Health dashboard remains unchanged from Monday, with 470 total deaths from COVID-19 in the Santa Clarita Valley.

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

Santa Clarita: 382

Castaic: 30

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: 1

Newhall: 1

unincorporated Saugus/Canyon Country: 1

Lake Hughes: 1

SCV Cases

Of the 73,816 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

Santa Clarita: 54,540

Castaic: 7,575

Stevenson Ranch: 4,114

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 2,634

Acton: 1,526

Val Verde: 858

Agua Dulce: 785

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 686

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 317

Elizabeth Lake: 208

Bouquet Canyon: 149

Lake Hughes: 149

Saugus/Canyon Country: 90

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 87

Sand Canyon: 49

San Francisquito/Bouquet Canyon: 34

Placerita Canyon: 15

*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, April 29.

Vaccinations

– 75,037,284 total vaccines administered.

– 84.3% of the eligible population (5+) has been vaccinated with at least one dose.

– 50,673 people a day are receiving COVID-19 vaccination (average daily dose count over 7 days).

Cases

– California has 8,605,663 confirmed cases to date.

-Friday’s average case count is 4,032 (average daily case count over 7 days).

– Unvaccinated people are 5.7 times more likely to get COVID-19 than boosted individuals (April 3, 2022 – April 10, 2022).

Testing

– The testing positivity rate is 3.1% (average rate over 7 days).

Hospitalizations

– There are 1,025 hospitalizations statewide.

– There are 130 ICU patients statewide.

– Unvaccinated people are 8.6 times more likely to be hospitalized than boosted individuals (April 3, 2022 – April 10, 2022).

Deaths

– There have been 89,582 COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

– COVID-19 claims the lives of 14 Californians each day (average daily death count over 7 days).

– Unvaccinated people are 10.9 times more likely to die than boosted individuals (March 27, 2022 — April 3, 2022).

Health Care Workers

As of April 21, local health departments have reported 155,464 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 578 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 April 17 to April 23, the average time patients waited for test results was 0.7 day. During this same time period, 94% of patients received test results in one day and 99% received them within two days.

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)

As of April 25, there have been 960 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.

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 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.