The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed Thursday 75 additional deaths (29,764 to date) and 5,610 new cases (2,752,398 total) of COVID-19 countywide, with 115 new (70,816 total) cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.

Of the 75 new deaths reported Friday, one person was between the ages of 18-29, three people were between the ages of 30-49, 11 were between the ages of 50-64, 24 were between the ages of 65-79, and 30 were aged 80 years or older. Of the 75 newly reported deaths, 58 had underlying health conditions. Information on the two deaths reported by the City of Long Beach and four reported by the City of Pasadena is available at www.LongBeach.gov and www.CityofPasadena.net. To date, the total number of deaths in L.A. County is 29,764.

Public Health has reported a total of 2,752,398 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County. Today’s positivity rate is 4%.

There are 2,307 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized. Testing results are available for more than 11,244,300 individuals, with 22% of people testing positive.

Super Bowl Safety Measures

With less than two days remaining before the Super Bowl, Public Health reminds residents that transmission remains high across the County and residents should layer safety measures as they make plans to attend the game in-person, gather with friends or family, or watch the game at a local entertainment venue such as a bar or restaurant.

With broad access to safe and effective coronavirus vaccines, there are several steps fans can take to watch the game and stay safe. The best way to stay protected from severe illness from COVID-19 before the game is to get vaccinated and boosted as soon as eligible.

Smaller gatherings are recommended, as mixing with different households increases the risk of infection. People should also gather outdoors, if possible, and if it can be done safely, move the TV outside or plan to serve food and drinks outdoors. If having an outdoor Super Bowl gathering is not possible, it is recommended that organizers improve airflow, including using fans or portable air cleaners, opening windows, or running the air conditioning.

Residents should also consider getting a rapid test as close to the game as possible, especially when gathering indoors with people who are unvaccinated and/or are at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19. Rapid tests, including over the counter (OTC) self-tests, provide a result in 15-30 minutes. Residents can also find a testing site in L.A. County at https://covid19.lacounty.gov/testing/.

Wearing an upgraded mask (including respirators such as an N95, KN95, or KF94) also adds a stronger layer of protection, especially if gathering indoors or in crowded spaces with unvaccinated guests, individuals with unknown vaccine status, or individuals who are at higher risk of severe illness.

According to a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study, wearing a face mask or respirator in indoor public settings was associated with significantly lower odds of a positive COVID-19 test result compared with never wearing a face mask or respirator in these settings. Additionally, the CDC found that wearing N95/KN95 respirators provided the best protection and was associated with 83% lower odds of a positive test result compared with not wearing any face mask or respirator. The next best protection was provided by a surgical mask with a 66% lower odds of a positive test result compared with not wearing a mask.

These findings show that consistently wearing a face mask or respirator in indoor public settings is associated with a reduced risk of infection. This is a particularly important layer of protection to use when there are large numbers of breakthrough cases, as we’ve seen with the Omicron variant and during times of high transmission.

Lastly, if anyone is ill or has a positive COVID-19 test, they should stay home and not attend the game or gathering. Instead, they can join in virtually, or watch the game at home to keep your family and friends safe and healthy.

Those attending events at SoFi stadium or at the Super Bowl Experience at the Convention Center will need to wear a mask and verify their vaccination status or provide a negative test result prior to entering these events.

“I send my deepest sympathies and wishes of peace and comfort to the many families who have lost a loved one due to COVID-19,” said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “Given the evidence of waning protection over time from the COVID vaccines, eligible residents and workers should get boosted as soon as possible. As we think about the ‘post-surge’ strategies, increasing the number of people optimally protected from COVID infection helps us decrease the number of people who become seriously ill and die from COVID. Appropriate actions that allow us to live with this virus without major disruptions to our lives will need to include strategies that reduce the impact of the virus on those most vulnerable.”

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.

Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital

Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital currently has zero tests pending, 23 patients in the hospital, and a total of 2,127 patients who have been treated and discharged since the pandemic began, and no additional deceased, spokesman Patrick Moody confirmed.

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.

Student Dashboard

Staff Dashboard

Santa Clarita Valley Friday Update
As of 5 p.m. Friday, the L.A. County Public Health dashboard reports no additional deaths from COVID-19 in the Santa Clarita Valley, leaving the total number of COVID-19 deaths to date in the SCV to 415.

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

Santa Clarita: 339

Castaic: 27

Acton: 15

Unincorporated Canyon Country: 9 (revised from 10)

Stevenson Ranch: 10

Agua Dulce: 5

Val Verde: 3

Valencia: 2

Unincorporated Bouquet Canyon: 2

Elizabeth Lake: 1

Newhall: 1

unincorporated Saugus/Canyon Country: 1

Lake Hughes: 0 (**revised from 1)

SCV Cases

Of the 70,816 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

Santa Clarita: 52,640

Castaic: 6,981

Stevenson Ranch: 3,901

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 2,518

Acton: 1,477

Val Verde: 812

Agua Dulce: 768

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 656

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 303

Elizabeth Lake: 199

Bouquet Canyon: 147

Lake Hughes: 142

Saugus/Canyon Country: 89

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 87

Sand Canyon: 47

San Francisquito/Bouquet Canyon: 34

Placerita Canyon: 15

*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

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

– 70,537,667 total vaccines administered.

– 82.5% of the eligible population (5+) has been vaccinated with at least one dose.

– 77,709 people a day are receiving COVID-19 vaccination (average daily dose count over 7 days).

Cases

– California has 8,204,171 confirmed cases to date.

– Today’s average case count is 30,381 (average daily case count over 7 days).

– Unvaccinated people are 5.9 times more likely to get COVID-19 than boosted individuals (Jan. 17, 2022 – Jan. 23, 2022).

Testing

– The testing positivity rate is 8.3% (average rate over 7 days).

Hospitalizations

– There are 9,241 hospitalizations statewide.

– There are 1,841 ICU patients statewide.

– Unvaccinated people are 11.4 times more likely to be hospitalized than boosted individuals (Jan.17, 2022 – Jan. 23, 2022).

Deaths

– There have been 81,437 COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

– COVID-19 claims the lives of 148 Californians each day (average daily death count over 7 days).

– Unvaccinated people are 21.8 times more likely to die than boosted individuals (Jan. 10, 2022 – Jan. 16, 2022).

Health Care Workers

Note: There has been no update of positive cases among health care workers since Jan. 6. 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 Jan. 30 to Feb. 5, the average time patients waited for test results was 0.9 days. During this same time period, 85% of patients received test results in one day and 96% received them within two days.

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)

As of Feb. 7, there have been 809 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.