The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed 16 new deaths throughout L.A. County, 2,705 new cases countywide and 82 new cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.

This new data brings Los Angeles County death totals to 33,187, county case totals to 3,413,783 and Santa Clarita Valley case totals to 89,688, with 498 total SCV deaths from COVID-19 since March of 2020.

There are 788 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized.

Testing results are available for more than 12,477,349 individuals, with 24% of people testing positive.

Of the 16 new deaths reported today, two people were between the ages of 30-49, three people were between the ages of 50-64, four people were between the ages of 65-79, and five people were aged 80 years or older. Information on the one death reported by the City of Long Beach can be found at longbeach.gov. Information on the one death reported by the City of Pasadena can be found at pasadena.net. Of the 16 newly reported deaths, 14 had underlying health conditions.

Today’s positivity rate is 7.8%.

Residents Should Continue Safety Measures to Further Reduce Rate of Transmission

With continued declines in hospitalizations and a lower case rate, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has moved Los Angeles County into the Low Community Level, reflecting minimal stress on the hospital system in L.A. County associated with COVID-19. However, viral transmission, with a case rate just below 200, is still high, as it represents about 2,500 new cases a day. Residents are therefore asked to continue following sensible safety measures including indoor masking and staying home and away from others if sick to help reduce the rate of transmission.

The seven-day average case count is 2,438, an 18% decline from one week ago when an average of 2,976 cases were reported.

Over the past seven days, the average number of daily COVID-positive patients in L.A. County hospitals was 813, about a 10% decline from one week ago when the average number of daily COVID-positive patients per day was 900.

Deaths, which typically lag hospitalizations by several weeks, remain relatively stable at an average of 14 reported deaths daily.

While many sectors are experiencing declines in clusters of cases and outbreaks, as more K-12 schools opened during August, there have been increases in the number of clusters of cases and outbreaks at schools. There have been a total of 624 clusters reported at schools since Aug. 7 that involved more than 3,500 individuals, of which 3,355 were students. The number of reported clusters more than tripled each week throughout August, with 38 clusters reported for the week ending Aug. 13, 135 clusters reported for the week ending Aug. 20, and 451 clusters for the week ending Aug. 27.

Since schools reopened, 27 outbreaks have been documented in elementary schools. Eight outbreaks are associated with Youth Sports programs, and five outbreaks have been documented in middle schools. There has been only one outbreak associated with a high school.

To help further reduce the rate of transmission at schools and in the community, residents should continue to follow simple safety measures such as staying home when sick; testing after an exposure; universal masking indoors when around others and for 10 days after an exposure; and being up to date on vaccinations.

The Omicron variant continues to account for 100% of sequenced specimens in the county, with the BA.5 subvariant of Omicron as the predominant subvariant by far. For the week ending August 13, 92% of all sequenced specimens were BA.5, a slight increase over the 90% from last week. The CDC estimates that, across the country, as of the week ending Aug. 27, the BA.5 subvariant accounted for 89% of specimens.

Vaccinations remain the best defense against severe COVID-19 illness, and new Pfizer and Moderna boosters that target the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants of Omicron have been approved this week by both the Food and Drug Administration and CDC. Residents and workers in L.A. County can soon receive a new updated bivalent boosters scheduled to be available starting next week at more than 900 sites across the county. L.A. County expects to initially receive 170,000 of the new Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna updated boosters between Sept. 6 and Sept. 9 and will begin administering these free vaccines Sept, 7 at 12 Public Health sites, 701 mobile vaccine clinics and 245 community, pharmacy and clinic sites.

To find a location for the new booster go to VaccinateLACounty.com. Click on “Find a Location” and then search by “Vaccine Type”.

“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. “As we all look forward to celebrating Labor Day and expressing our deep appreciation to the many hard-working people throughout our county, we face the twin challenges this holiday weekend of ongoing circulation of COVID, plus very high heat across most regions of L.A. County. With the extreme heat, it will make sense for many to move gatherings indoors. When gathering indoors, you can maximize ventilation by opening windows and doors, using air filters, and setting HVAC systems to maximize fresh air exchange. It is also advisable to wear a mask if gathering indoors with individuals whose COVID status is unknown. Given the high heat we are experiencing, we ask that everyone do their part to take care of those most vulnerable by checking on your friends, family, and neighbors. Older adults, babies, and those with underlying health conditions are especially vulnerable to heat stress. Please never leave children, pets, or elderly persons in parked cars, even for a few minutes. Be sure to drink a lot of water and seek medical care for yourself or anyone experiencing symptoms of heat-related illness. There will be cooling centers open throughout the county, and many are already open. Spending a few hours in a cool setting can be lifesaving when temperatures are high. As we have fun connecting with family and friends, these steps, along with other measures, can make our celebrations safer from COVID and the extreme heat.”

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

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 498.

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

Santa Clarita: 406 (*revised from 407)

Castaic: 31

Acton: 18

Stevenson Ranch: 15

Unincorporated Canyon Country: 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 89,688 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

Santa Clarita: 66,255

Castaic: 9,008

Stevenson Ranch: 5,294

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 3,252

Acton: 1,790

Val Verde: 988

Agua Dulce: 907

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 852

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 397

Elizabeth Lake: 247

Bouquet Canyon: 190

Lake Hughes: 185

Saugus/Canyon Country: 105

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 100

Sand Canyon: 57

San Francisquito/Bouquet Canyon: 41

Placerita Canyon: 20

*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. 26.

Vaccinations

– 79,642,984 total vaccines administered.

– 80.2% of the eligible population (5+) has been vaccinated with at least one dose.

– 17,692 people a day are receiving COVID-19 vaccination (average daily dose count over 7 days).

Cases

– California has 10,291,286 confirmed cases to date.

– Friday’s average case count is 7,773 (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 8.7% (average rate over 7 days).

Hospitalizations

– There are 3,004 hospitalizations statewide.

– There are 354 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 94,239 COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

– COVID-19 claims the lives of 33 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 Sept. 1, local health departments have reported 178,879 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 Aug. 21 to Aug. 27, the average time patients waited for test results was 0.8 day. During this same time period, 90% of patients received test results in one day and 97% received them within two days.

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)

As of Sept. 1, 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.