The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed 15 new deaths throughout L.A. County, 968 new cases countywide and 17 new cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.

This new data brings Los Angeles County death totals to 35,890, county case totals to 3,719,362 and Santa Clarita Valley case totals to 98,802 since March of 2020. SCV deaths from COVID-19 remain at 551.

The 7-day average positivity rate is 4.2%.

There are 460 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized. Testing results are available for more than 12,973,000 individuals, with 25% of people testing positive.

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

* Number reflects an undercount due to a lag from weekend reporting.

** Friday case and death counts include a week’s worth of cases/deaths reported by Long Beach and are therefore artificially high.

^ Data for past dates is subject to change in future reports

COVID-19 Continues to Outpace Other Respiratory Illnesses

As hospitalizations and deaths remain higher for COVID-19 than other respiratory illnesses, residents still need to take sensible protections to keep those at higher risk safe.

Since October, 69 Los Angeles County residents are known to have died from flu-related illness, a likely undercount since testing and reporting for flu are less robust than they are for COVID-19. Using U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention modeling data, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health estimates that the true number of flu-associated deaths since October is likely closer to 540. Even using the higher flu figure, there has been more than triple the number of COVID-19 deaths during the same period, with 1,891 L.A. County residents dying from COVID-related illness from Oct. 1, 2022, to March 1, 2023.

People who are at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19 include people over 65-years-old. Over the 90-day period ending Feb. 28, unvaccinated people in Los Angeles County who were 65-79 were more than 4 times more likely to be hospitalized when compared to those vaccinated, and yet to receive the bivalent booster, in the same age group. And the difference is greater when comparing those unvaccinated in this age group to those vaccinated and boosted with the bivalent booster where the magnitude of the difference was greater than 10 fold.

Unvaccinated residents over 80 were 2.5 times more likely to be hospitalized than those over 80 years old who were vaccinated and boosted with the bivalent booster.

With less access to health-affirming resources and oftentimes greater exposure through work sites, data shows that people who live in areas with greater rates of poverty are also at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19.

For the 90-day period ending Feb. 28, unvaccinated residents living in the poorest areas were 11 times more likely to be hospitalized than unvaccinated residents living in the wealthiest areas. Among residents in the poorest areas, unvaccinated individuals were nearly 14 times more likely to be hospitalized than individuals with the bivalent booster.

In L.A. County from 2020-2022, COVID-19 was the second leading cause of death behind coronary heart disease People living with underlying health conditions including obesity, kidney disease, diabetes, asthma, pregnancy or recent pregnancy and other common conditions are also at increased risk of hospitalization and death from COVID-19.

“I offer my sincere condolences to those who have lost a loved one to COVID-19. I wish you comfort and peace,” said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, Ph.D., M.P.H., M.Ed., Director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. “LA County is a place where people care for others. As guidelines shift around COVID-19, our ability to care for those who remain more vulnerable to severe illness associated with COVID-19 remains important. COVID-19 is still with us and we continue to see the impact each day as hospitals take care of dozens and dozens of patients with COVID-19 associated illness and, tragically, seven people pass away on average. For those in the community who are most vulnerable, simple common-sense precautions continue to offer protection. And while each of us can decide what steps to take to care for ourselves, we may also need to take actions to protect the safety and health of those most vulnerable who are in our homes, at our worksites, and in our communities.”

The 7-day average case count for COVID-19 dropped nearly 13% from the week prior from 832 last week to an average of 726 this week. Reported average daily deaths also dropped nearly 11%, from 11.9 last week to 10.6 this week. The 7-day average of new COVID-19 positive hospital admissions is 76 this week, down from 88 last week. The 7-day average for test positivity remained stable at 4.6%.

Los Angeles County remains in the CDC’s Low COVID-19 Community Level for the ninth consecutive week. This includes a 7-day case rate of 50 new cases per 100,000 people, a decrease from the week prior. The 7-day total for new COVID-19 hospital admissions per 100,000 people is currently 5.4, a small decrease from last week. And the 7-day average of the proportion of staffed inpatient beds occupied by COVID-19 patients is now 3.1%, down from the week prior.

With new COVID-19 isolation and quarantine guidance in place, the following steps are strongly recommended to keep residents who are most at-risk safe:

Test to leave isolation. If you have COVID-19, it remains very important to minimize the risk of passing along an infection. This includes testing negative if leaving isolation between days 5 to 10 of your infection (and only if you’re improving and you’ve been fever free for 24-hours without fever-reducing medicine). Testing before leaving isolation before day 10 will make you significantly less likely to infect others.

Mask up to leave isolation. After you test negative and leave isolation, please wear a well-fitting mask around others indoors, especially those at higher risk, until day 10. People can be infectious for up to 10 days, and sometimes longer in more severe cases.

Mask up and test if exposed. If you are a close contact to someone who tests positive, take steps to prevent exposing others. Test as soon as possible. If negative, test again between 3 and 5 days after your known exposure. While symptoms usually appear in the first 3 to 5 days, they can take up to 10 days to appear, so it is recommended close contacts wear a well-fitting mask for 10 days after their last exposure.

Know your COVID-19 status. Take an at-home COVID-19 test before gatherings, especially if those at higher risk will be in attendance, so you don’t unknowingly infect others. Free tests can be found at Public Health vaccination sites and clinics, many libraries, and schools. Health insurance policies, including Medi-Cal are still required to reimburse each member for up to eight tests a month.

In addition to taking these sensible steps, everyone who is eligible should receive the updated bivalent booster. This booster, available to ages 6 months and older, has been shown to provide significant protection against hospitalization and death even when compared to individuals who have been fully vaccinated but had not received the updated booster.

For more information about vaccinations and boosters, testing and treatment, visit VaccinateLACounty.com or VacunateLosAngeles.com (en español) or call 1-833-540-0473 seven days a week between 8 a.m. and 8:30 p.m.

If residents have COVID-19, medication is available even if residents are uninsured and under-insured. Telehealth services to connect residents to COVID-19 medication can be reached at 833-540-0473, 8 a.m. – 8:30 p.m.; 7 days a week. These medications must be started within five days of symptom onset and are proven to greatly reduce hospitalizations and 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 551.

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: 450

Castaic: 30 (revised from 33)

Acton: 18 (revised from 19)

Stevenson Ranch: 18

Unincorporated Canyon Country: 10

Agua Dulce: 7

Val Verde: 6

Elizabeth Lake: 4

Lake Hughes: 2

Valencia: 2

Unincorporated Bouquet Canyon: 2

Newhall: 1

Unincorporated Saugus/Canyon Country: 1

SCV Cases

Of the 98,802 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

Santa Clarita: 72,994

Castaic: 9,579

Stevenson Ranch: 5,944

Canyon Country: 3,744

Acton: 2,006

Val Verde: 1,215

Agua Dulce: 986

Valencia: 931

Saugus: 343

Elizabeth Lake: 286

Bouquet Canyon: 205

Lake Hughes: 203

Saugus/Canyon Country: 130

Newhall: 105

Sand Canyon: 63

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, March 16.

Vaccinations

– 88,344,968 total vaccines administered.

– 72.8% of the population has been vaccinated with a primary series.

– 8,179 people a day are receiving COVID-19 vaccination (average daily dose count over 7 days).

Cases

– California has 11,162,835 confirmed cases to date.

– Average case count is 2,295 (average daily case count over 7 days).

– During January 2023, unvaccinated people were 2.6 times more likely to get COVID-19 than people who were vaccinated with at least a primary series.

Testing

– The testing positivity rate is 5.7% (average rate over 7 days).

Hospitalizations

– There are 2,093 hospitalizations statewide.

– There are 252 ICU patients statewide.

– During January 2023, unvaccinated people were 2.6 times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 than people who were vaccinated with at least a primary series.

Deaths

– There have been 100,799 COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

– COVID-19 claims the lives of 17 Californians each day (average daily death count over 7 days).

– During January 2023, 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 March 15, local health departments have reported 192,552 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 602 deaths statewide.

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C). This is the most recent data reported:

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.

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.

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:

– 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.