The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed eight new deaths throughout L.A. County, 6,129 new cases countywide and 163 new cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.

This new data brings Los Angeles County death totals to 32,291, county case totals to 3,088,482 and Santa Clarita Valley case totals to 80,568, with 479 total SCV deaths from COVID-19 since March of 2020.

There are 741 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized. Testing results are available for more than 12,147,886 individuals, with 23% of people testing positive.

Of the eight new deaths reported today, one person was between the ages of 50-64, one person was between the ages of 65-79, and six people were aged 80 years or older. Of the eight newly reported deaths, all had underlying health conditions.

Today’s positivity rate is 11.3%.

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

Public Health Closely Monitoring Additional Post-Surge Metrics

L.A. County remains at the medium community level on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 Community Level framework. The CDC Community Level framework contains three elements: the weekly cumulative case rate per 100,000 people and two hospital metrics, the seven-day cumulative rate of COVID-19 hospital admissions, and the percentage of hospital beds occupied by COVID-19 patients.

This medium level is based on a very high case rate of 307 cases per 100,000 residents, well above the CDC’s 200 cases per 100,000 threshold for the low community level.

The county’s hospital admission rate is at 7.3 per 100,000 people, unchanged from last week. The percentage of hospital beds occupied by COVID patients is at 3.6%, slightly up from 3.5% last week. If the county reaches 10 for either of these two metrics, it will move into the “high” community level.

If the county continues its current rate of increase over the coming weeks, it may reach the COVID-19 hospital admission rate of 10 per 100,000 people threshold in mid-July, which is the high community level. However, the future hospitalization trend cannot be predicted with certainty. Hospitalizations could level off and begin to decline—this would be a great relief, or they could again begin to increase more rapidly. The data will need to be monitored closely.

If the county does move into the high level and remain there for two consecutive weeks, Public Health will implement a universal indoor masking requirement for everyone age 2 and older in LA County as a safety measure recommended by the CDC. If it were to be implemented, it would remain in effect until the county returns to the medium level for two consecutive weeks.

The county is also tracking seven of eight county Early Alert Signals. For the summer, school outbreaks will not be monitored since schools are closed. Five of the seven Early Alert county metrics Public Health is tracking continues to convey cause for medium or high concern.

L.A. County did move in a positive direction on several metrics. The case rate in low-income communities and the weekly number of outbreaks in Skilled Nursing Facilities both declined enough to move both metrics back down from high to medium concern. The number of outbreaks in settings for people experiencing homelessness also decreased to move the county from medium to low concern.

The metrics for emergency department visits and worksite clusters both remain at medium concern, as they were last week. And the number of sewer systems with a two-fold increase in viral load continues to be in low concern.

As a reminder, alerts in any community-wide measure that reaches the threshold for medium or high concern will trigger an in-depth review of contributing factors and the possibility of modifications to community prevention strategies. Sector specific alerts that reach the threshold for medium or high concern will result in action steps outlined in the Priority Sector Response table above. Sectors must be in a lower concern level for at least two weeks before the additional mitigation strategies can be lifted.

“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 begin to enjoy the warm summer days with family and friends, taking steps every day to prevent the spread of COVID-19 will help us avoid hitting the CDC high community level threshold. With highly infectious variants and sub-lineages in L.A. County, it remains important to use all of our safety measures that work to reduce COVID-19 risk, including vaccinations, masking, moving activities outdoors, maximizing ventilation when indoors, and testing and staying home when sick. Every time you make the decision to wear a mask indoors, you are protecting yourself and all those around you, including essential workers and those most vulnerable. With summer holidays, camp and trips being planned, this is also an important time to make sure all members of your household are fully vaccinated and boosted.”

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 in the city of Santa Clarita, leaving the total number of deaths from COVID-19 in the SCV at 479.

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

Santa Clarita: 390

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: 1

Newhall: 1

unincorporated Saugus/Canyon Country: 1

Lake Hughes: 1

SCV Cases

Of the 80,568 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

Santa Clarita: 59,396

Castaic: 8,247

Stevenson Ranch: 4,689

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 2,898

Acton: 1,627

Val Verde: 908

Agua Dulce: 835

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 770

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 356

Elizabeth Lake: 223

Bouquet Canyon: 160

Lake Hughes: 167

Saugus/Canyon Country: 98

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 91

Sand Canyon: 51

San Francisquito/Bouquet Canyon: 36

Placerita Canyon: 16

*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, June 24.

Vaccinations

– 77,359,712 total vaccines administered.

– 83.8% of the eligible population (5+) has been vaccinated with at least one dose.

– 33,899 people a day are receiving COVID-19 vaccination (average daily dose count over 7 days).

Cases

– California has 9,312,854 confirmed cases to date.

– Friday’s average case count is 13,855 (average daily case count over 7 days).

– Unvaccinated people are 5.2 times more likely to get COVID-19 than boosted individuals (May 30, 2022 – June 5, 2022).

Testing

– The testing positivity rate is 13.0% (average rate over 7 days).

Hospitalizations

– There are 3,126 hospitalizations statewide.

– There are 325 ICU patients statewide.

– Unvaccinated people are 8.3 times more likely to be hospitalized than boosted individuals (May 30, 2022 – June 5, 2022).

Deaths

– There have been 91,420 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 8.3 times more likely to die than boosted individuals (May 23, 2022 – May 29, 2022).

Health Care Workers

As of June 23, local health departments have reported 166,625 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 583 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 June 12 to June 18, the average time patients waited for test results was 0.8 day. During this same time period, 87% of patients received test results in one day and 97% received them within two days.

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)

As of June 20, there have been 1,000 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.