Two additional COVID-19 deaths were reported by Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital on Friday, reaching 200 people who have died at the hospital and more than 380 in the community since the start of the pandemic.

Los Angeles County Department of Public Health officials confirmed Friday 48 new deaths and 40,535 new cases of COVID-19 countywide, with 57,029 total cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.

With hospitalizations rising and many emergency departments requesting ambulance diversions at some point during the day, Public Health urges all residents to help preserve the existing capacity of LA County hospitals by not going to the emergency departments for COVID testing or mild illness.

For those who are experiencing mild illness, contact your primary care provider or schedule a visit at a clinic. Residents needing a COVID test can visit covid19.lacounty.gov/testing to find a convenient testing location near you. This will ensure that those needing emergency care can get services at the closest emergency department or get a quick response when they call 911.

Currently, LA County is averaging 629 new COVID-19 admissions daily, with 4,257 people currently hospitalized with COVID-19, the highest number since February 5th, 2021. Six hundred of these patients are currently in the ICU, making up nearly 25% of all ICU patients. This is higher than the level witnessed during the Delta surge, where COVID patients comprised 20% of ICU patients.

The proportion of ventilated patients with COVID-19 has also nearly tripled since the beginning of December, with one-in five patients currently ventilated diagnosed with COVID. More than 80% of all adult ICU beds in LA County are currently occupied

“I join with others sending condolences to all those grieving the loss of a loved one from COVID-19 at this time,” said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “As Omicron surges across LA County, there are mounting challenges and frustrations affecting so many. The enormous strain experienced by our health care personnel can be alleviated by reducing the transmission of the virus so that less people are seeking medical care. And while it may feel like there isn’t much we can do to keep ourselves and others from getting infected, and that it isn’t a big deal to get infected, neither are an accurate assessment of the current situation. Avoiding non-essential activities where the risk for transmission is high because people are crowded together indoors and unmasked will reduce your exposures. Wearing a high grade and well-fitting mask will block COVID virus particles. And given that unvaccinated people are between 2 and 4 times more likely to get infected than those vaccinated, getting vaccinated and boosted will lead to less spread. With thousands of people seriously ill with COVID and deaths increasing daily, it is too risky for too many people to not continue to take precautions and make strategic decisions to minimize community transmission.”

Today, Public Health confirmed 48 additional deaths and 40,535 new cases of COVID-19. Of the 48 new deaths reported today, four were between the ages of 30-49, 12 people were between the ages of 50 and 64, 11 were between the ages of 65-79, and 20 were over the age of 80 years old. Of the 48 newly reported deaths, 38 had underlying conditions. To date, the total number of deaths in L.A. County are 27,942.

Public Health has identified a total 2,172,008 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County. Today’s positivity rate is 19%.

There are 4,257 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized. Testing results are available for more than 10,537,000 individuals, with 19% of people testing positive.

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

Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital

Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital reported Friday zero tests pending, 76 patients in the hospital, a total of 1,838 patients who have been treated and discharged since the pandemic began, and two additional deceased, hospital spokesman Patrick Moody confirmed.

“We strongly encourage everyone to follow CDC guidelines to protect themselves and those around them,” Moody said.

Privacy laws prohibit the hospital from releasing the community of residence for patients who die there; that info is reported by the L.A. County Public Health COVID-19 dashboard, which generally lags 48 hours behind.

Santa Clarita Valley Friday Update
As of 5 p.m. Thursday, the L.A. County Public Health dashboard reported an additional death in the city of Santa Clarita, and an additional death in Acton, bringing the total of COVID-19 deaths since the onset of the pandemic to 381. There was no update on Friday as of presstime.

The following is the community breakdown of the 381 SCV residents who have died, according to the L.A. County dashboard:

314 in Santa Clarita

23 in Castaic

14 in Acton

9 in Stevenson Ranch

7 in unincorporated Canyon Country

5 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)

SCV Cases

Of the 57,029 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

Santa Clarita: 42,317

Castaic: 5,912

Stevenson Ranch: 3,092

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 1,962

Acton: 1,148

Val Verde: 634

Agua Dulce: 601

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 523

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 251

Elizabeth Lake: 155

Bouquet Canyon: 108

Lake Hughes: 107

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 74

Saugus/Canyon Country: 70

Sand Canyon: 36

San Francisquito/Bouquet Canyon: 30

Placerita Canyon: 9

*Note: The county is unable 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 released the following data Friday. The most up to date data is available on the state’s COVID-19 data dashboard.

Statewide COVID-19 Data

Cases, hospitalizations and deaths are largely occurring among unvaccinated populations. See the data for unvaccinated and vaccinated cases, hospitalizations and deaths.

Vaccinations

– 67,170,758 total vaccines administered.

– 80.7% of the eligible population (5+) has been vaccinated with at least one dose.

– 179,841 people a day are receiving COVID-19 vaccination (average daily dose count over 7 days).

Cases

– California has 6,416,171 confirmed cases to date.

– Today’s average case count is 86,929 (average daily case count over 7 days).

Testing

– The testing positivity rate is 22.9% (average rate over 7 days).

Hospitalizations

– There are 13,349 hospitalizations statewide.

– There are 1,958 ICU patients statewide.

– Unvaccinated people were 8.0 times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 (data from December 20, 2021 to December 26, 2021).

Deaths

– There have been 76,940 COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

– COVID-19 claims the lives of 46 Californians each day (average daily death count over 7 days).

– Unvaccinated people were 20.8 times more likely to die from COVID-19 (data from Dec. 13, 2021 to Dec. 19, 2021).

Health Care Workers

As of Jan. 6, local health departments have reported 136,816 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 540 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 Dec. 25 to Jan. 1, the average time patients waited for test results was 1.2 days. During this same time period, 65% of patients received test results in one day and 92% received them within two days.

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)

As of Jan. 10, there have been 783 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.

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.