The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed 25 new deaths throughout L.A. County, 1,184 new cases countywide and 37 new cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.

This new data brings Los Angeles County death totals to 35,104, county case totals to 3,665,365 and Santa Clarita Valley case totals to 97,473 since March of 2020. SCV deaths from COVID-19 remain at 538.

The 7-day average positivity rate is 6.35%.

There are 844 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized. Testing results are available for more than 12,863,504 individuals, with 25% of people testing positive.

The 7-day average case count in the county is 1,045, a 41% decrease from one week ago when the 7-day average of 1,776 cases was reported. And over the past seven days, the average number of daily COVID-positive patients in Los Angeles County hospitals is 957, a 13% decrease from last week when the average number of COVID-positive patients per day was 1,106.

COVID-19 Case, Hospitalization Rates Decline

Los Angeles County has made good progress in reducing COVID-19 transmission and hospitalizations, returning to the CDC designated Low Community Level this week for the first time since November 2022. The 7-day average case rate has dropped to 71 new cases per 100,000 people. The 7-day total for new COVID-19 hospital admissions per 100,000 people is 9.5 and the 7-day average of the proportion of staffed inpatient beds occupied by COVID-19 patients is 5.8%.

In the Low Community Level, masking for many people at many indoor sites is an individual preference with these exceptions:

— Masking is still always required in healthcare and congregate care settings, per the state health officer order.

— Indoor masking is required for anyone exposed to COVID-19 for 10 days after their last exposure to a confirmed case.

— Everyone should mask where it is required by the site, including businesses, schools, and workplaces.

Masking remains strongly recommended on public transit, and in all indoor spaces for people who are at elevated risk for severe illness or death from COVID-19, and those who may be exposed to large numbers of people in their job or work in very crowded places. A high quality, well-fitting, respirator mask, such as an N95, KN95, or KF94, provides the best protection.

However, with elevated risks of severe illness, hospitalization, and death for people who are more vulnerable, and to remain at the lower community level, residents should continue to consider using appropriate protective measures including masking when indoors, seeking treatment when ill, and getting the updated bivalent booster.

Mounting research and clinical evidence has shown that vaccines provide significant protection from severe illness. In Los Angeles County, people who were unvaccinated were nearly seven times more likely to be hospitalized and nine times more likely to die from COVID-19 than people who were fully vaccinated and received the bivalent booster.

Hospitalization rates for the 30-day-period ending Jan. 3 were more than three times higher for people who were unvaccinated compared to people who were vaccinated without the updated booster. For those vaccinated without the updated booster, hospitalizations were 2.2 times higher than for people who had additionally received the updated booster.

Similar comparisons for death rates over the 30-day-period ending Dec. 27 are also quite sobering. People who were unvaccinated had death rates that were more than four times greater than people who were vaccinated without the updated bivalent booster. And, for people who were vaccinated without the updated booster, the rate of death was more than two times higher than people who had received the updated bivalent booster.

The bivalent booster, widely available in Los Angeles County since September, is formulated to provide increased protection against the COVID-19 Omicron variant and its sublineages. Unfortunately, just 22% of eligible people in Los Angeles County have received the updated booster.

“This week we crossed the heartbreaking milestone of recording over 35,000 COVID-related deaths among Los Angeles County residents. I would like to extend my heartfelt condolences to those who have lost a loved one to COVID and I offer wishes for healing and peace,” said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, Ph.D., M.P.H., M.Ed., Director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. “Moving into Low Community level is significant and reflects reduced risk; but it doesn’t mean no risk and certainly for those who are more vulnerable, risk remains significant. Low Community level is not a promise, and it doesn’t signal the end of the pandemic – we will have to wait to see how metrics continue to change over the coming weeks. It does show that we know a lot more about COVID-19, including what works and how to effectively use the tools we have. My hope is that people will continue to be smart about navigating life with this virus and that we are truly entering a new phase.”

Los Angeles County is currently reporting lower COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, yet deaths remain consistently high since late December.

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 538.

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: 439

Castaic: 30 (revised from 33)

Acton: 18 (revised from 19)

Stevenson Ranch: 17

Unincorporated Canyon Country: 10

Agua Dulce: 7

Elizabeth Lake: 4

Val Verde: 6

Valencia: 2

Unincorporated Bouquet Canyon: 2

Newhall: 1

Unincorporated Saugus/Canyon Country: 1

Lake Hughes: 1

SCV Cases

Of the 97,473 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

Santa Clarita: 71,981

Castaic: 9,468

Stevenson Ranch: 5,861

Canyon Country: 3,686

Acton: 1,990

Val Verde: 1,201

Agua Dulce: 975

Valencia: 925

Saugus: 338

Elizabeth Lake: 284

Bouquet Canyon: 201

Lake Hughes: 200

Saugus/ CC: 130

Newhall: 105

Sand Canyon: 60

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, Jan. 19.

Vaccinations

– 87,566,084 total vaccines administered.

– 72.5% of the population has been vaccinated with a primary series.

– 21,079 people a day are receiving COVID-19 vaccination (average daily dose count over 7 days).

Cases

– California has 10,996,443 confirmed cases to date.

– Thursday’s average case count is 3,997 (average daily case count over 7 days).

– During November 2022, unvaccinated people were 2.3 times more likely to get COVID-19 than people who were vaccinated with at least a primary series.

Testing

The testing positivity rate is 6.1% (average rate over 7 days).

Hospitalizations

– There are 3,372 hospitalizations statewide.

– There are 378 ICU patients statewide.

– During November 2022, unvaccinated people were 2.5 times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 than people who were vaccinated with at least a primary series.

Deaths

– There have been 98,800 COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

– COVID-19 claims the lives of 42 Californians each day (average daily death count over 7 days).

– During November 2022, 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 Jan. 18, local health departments have reported 189,461 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 602 deaths statewide.

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)

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.

Updated Boosters for Children
California Health & Human Services and CDPH sent a statement on Oct. 13, 2022 on the expanded eligibility for the updated Moderna and Pfizer boosters. Eligibility for the updated Moderna booster now extends to individuals 6 years of age and older and eligibility for the updated Pfizer booster now extends to individuals 5 years of age and older. This statement follows the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendation and has the support of the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup.

Changes to Definition of Close Contact
CDPH is revising the definition of close contact related to COVID-19. The update, in keeping with the state’s SMARTER plan, provides strategies for responding to direct and indirect COVID-19 exposure in indoor environments, and aligns with the most current science, data, and information. These changes take effect Friday, Oct. 14, 2022.

The amended order can be viewed here, as well as a Q&A.

Updated Testing Requirements for Visitors to Health Care Facilities

Beginning Saturday, Sept. 17, visitors to health care facilities, such as skilled nursing facilities and general acute care hospitals, will no longer be required to be tested or show proof of vaccination in order to visit loved ones. Visitors must continue to comply with CDPH Masking Guidance while visiting loved ones indoors in these settings.

Facilities should continue to maintain all current infection prevention practices to protect the vulnerable populations in health care facilities. In addition, they should continue to offer testing for visitors per recommendations from CDPH and/or the local public health department and have the ability to ramp up testing if it is required again at a future date.

In August, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in updated testing guidance, indicated screening testing is no longer recommended in general community settings. Therefore, CDPH has also updated COVID-19 testing guidance.

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.