The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed Friday 38 additional deaths and 723 new cases of COVID-19 countywide, with 23 new cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.

This new data brings Los Angeles County death totals to 31,443, county case totals to 2,820,159 and Santa Clarita Valley case totals to 72,041 since March of 2020.

There are 471 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized. Testing results are available for more than 11,587,700 individuals, with 22% of people testing positive.

Workplace Safety Stressed

A key priority post-surge is to ensure workers have protection from devastating consequences associated with COVID-19 illness by preventing spread at worksites.

Current metrics indicate that businesses and worksites are seeing fewer outbreaks. Since the start of the pandemic, there have been a total 2,641 workplace outbreaks (excluding healthcare, residential and educational sites). As of March 16, there were 53 active outbreaks, down from the week prior when there were 64 active outbreaks. Further, there were only two new outbreaks for the week ending March 16.

This improvement reflects the lower rate of COVID-19 transmission in the community and a dedicated effort by many businesses and worksites to utilize strategies that protect workers and customers.

As a reminder, employers are required to offer free medical grade masks and respirators (N95, KN95, KF94) to employees working indoors in close contact with other workers, customers, and/or members of the public at all sites where masking indoors is optional. At worksites where masking remains required, employers need to provide employees with free, well-fitting medical masks.

Employers are also obligated to offer testing free of charge during work hours to any employee exposed to COVID-19 at work.

Employers Must Report COVID Clusters

In order to reduce transmission at worksites, employers are required to report any cluster of worksite COVID-19 cases to the Department of Public Health. A cluster is three or more laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 at the worksite within a 14-day period. Reports to Public Health should be made as soon as possible and no later than 48 hours after reports or knowledge of at least three cases. Worksites can report a cluster to Public Health online or by phone: 1-888-397-3993. If Public Health determines that there is an outbreak at a worksite, employees are required to mask both indoors and outdoors if they can’t be socially distanced from each other, and during an outbreak, employees should be provided with free respirators.

Given the need for employees to take time off if they have COVID-related illness or need to care for someone in their family, public and private employers with 26 or more employees are required by the 2022 COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave, to provide covered employees with up to 80 hours of COVID-19 related paid leave.

Report Violations

To date, most employers have followed public health guidance and implemented measures to protect their workers, customers and visitors. However, workers concerned about possible COVID-19 or other workplace safety concerns, or that an employer may not be following the County Health Officer Order or other requirements, have several options for filing a complaint. To file a complaint with Public Health, which can be submitted anonymously, workers can call the Environmental Health Customer Call Center at (888) 700-9995 or click “Report a Problem.” To file a complaint with Cal/OSHA about employee safety, workplace safety, or hazardous conditions, workers can call (833) 579-0927 or call or email the local Cal/OSHA Enforcement Office that serves the location of the job site.

“We continue to extend our deepest sympathies to everyone mourning the loss of a loved one from COVID,” said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “While we are all enjoying having the surge behind us, many front-line workers, with dozens of worksite exposures each day, remain at higher risk and are worried about becoming infected and possibly spreading COVID-19 to others. We ask that everyone continue to layer in, as appropriate, protections for our workforce members who have, throughout the pandemic, taken on personal risk to provide all of us with essential services. I encourage residents to help protect the thousands of front-line workers who are at elevated risk by supporting those businesses who properly protect their workers.”

Today, Public Health reported 38 additional deaths, and 723 new positive cases of COVID-19. Of the 38 new deaths reported today, two people were between the ages of 30-49, eight were between the ages of 50-64, seven were between the ages of 65-79, and 16 were aged 80 years or older. Of the 38 newly reported deaths, 25 had underlying health conditions. Information on the five deaths reported by the City of Long Beach is available at Long Beach. To date, the total number of deaths in L.A. County is 31,443.

Public Health has reported a total of 2,820,159 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County. Note that 2,051 additional cases have been added to the cumulative total of positive cases due to a backlog of cases from the surge. Today’s positivity rate is 0.7%.

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.

Student Dashboard

Staff Dashboard

Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital

Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital currently has zero tests pending, three patients in the hospital, a total of 2,213 patients who have been treated and discharged since the pandemic began, with no additional deaths, spokesman Michael Crawford confirmed. Henry Mayo has reported 227 deaths to date.

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 4:30 p.m. Friday, the L.A. County Public Health dashboard recorded one new death in Santa Clarita for a total of 453 deaths since the onset of the pandemic.

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

Santa Clarita: 370

Castaic: 28

Acton: 17

Stevenson Ranch: 14

Unincorporated Canyon Country: 9 (revised from 10)

Agua Dulce: 5

Val Verde: 3 (revised from 4)

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 72,041 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

Santa Clarita: 53,543

Castaic: 7,070

Stevenson Ranch: 3,987

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 2,579

Acton: 1,512

Val Verde: 828

Agua Dulce: 778

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 665

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 309

Elizabeth Lake: 203

Bouquet Canyon: 148

Lake Hughes: 146

Saugus/Canyon Country: 89

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 87

Sand Canyon: 48

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

– 72,366,458 total vaccines administered.

– 83.6% of the eligible population (5+) has been vaccinated with at least one dose.

– 28,754 people a day are receiving COVID-19 vaccination (average daily dose count over 7 days).

Cases

– California has 8,450,000 confirmed cases to date.

– Today’s average case count is 2,785 (average daily case count over 7 days).

– Unvaccinated people are 5.0 times more likely to get COVID-19 than boosted individuals (Feb. 21, 2022 – Feb. 27, 2022).

Testing

– The testing positivity rate is 1.5% (average rate over 7 days).

Hospitalizations

– There are 2,057 hospitalizations statewide.

– There are 343 ICU patients statewide.

– Unvaccinated people are 7.3 times more likely to be hospitalized than boosted individuals (Feb. 21, 2022 – Feb. 27, 2022).

Deaths

– There have been 87,194 COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

– COVID-19 claims the lives of 95 Californians each day (average daily death count over 7 days).

– Unvaccinated people are 14.5 times more likely to die than boosted individuals (Feb. 14, 2022 – Feb. 20, 2022).

Health Care Workers

Note: As of March 17, local health departments have reported 152,773 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 574 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 March 6 to March 12, the average time patients waited for test results was 1.4 days. During this same time period, 90% of patients received test results in one day and 96% received them within two days.

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)

As of March 14, there have been 900 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.