The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed 28 new deaths throughout L.A. County, 3,410 new cases countywide and 116 new cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.

This new data brings Los Angeles County death totals to 34,671, county case totals to 3,631,736 and Santa Clarita Valley case totals to 96,518 since March of 2020. SCV deaths from COVID-19 remain at 528.

Of the 28 new deaths reported today, three people were between the ages of 50 to 64, eight people were between the ages of 65 to 79, and 14 people were aged 80 years or older. For information on the three deaths reported by the City of Long Beach, visit longbeach.gov. Of the 28 newly reported deaths, 24 had underlying health conditions.

Friday’s positivity rate is 15%.

There are 1,249 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized. Testing results are available for more than 12,821,824 individuals, with 25% of people testing positive.

To Help Reduce Post-Holiday Surge, Follow Three Simple Steps: Test, Mask, and Stay Home When Sick

As people prepare for New Year’s celebrations, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) urges everyone to practice three simple steps: testing before gathering, masking while indoors or in very crowded outdoor spaces, and staying home when sick.

Although this week, Los Angeles County remains in Medium Community Level, based on its case rate and hospitalization numbers, winter holiday travel and celebrations could lead to a rise in COVID-19 cases, similar to what was experienced after Thanksgiving. A few sensible precautions can help prevent another post-holiday surge.

Step 1: To reduce the spread of the disease, Los Angeles County residents are asked to take an at-home COVID-19 test before attending New Year’s celebrations. This is especially important for people who have recently traveled or attended other gatherings. Some people with COVID-19 may be pre-symptomatic or asymptomatic and unaware of their infection status. Without testing, they may unintentionally spread the disease to others, including to people at higher risk for severe illness should they become infected.

COVID-19 health risks are highest for people over 50 and people who are immunocompromised or have underlying health issues.

Tests are readily available over the counter and insurance companies are required to reimburse the cost of eight tests per month per member. Each household may also receive four free tests shipped to their home by ordering at COVIDtests.gov. For more information on testing, visit ph.lacounty.gov/covidtests.

Step 2: Residents are asked to continue to wear a mask in indoor public spaces and in very crowded outdoor spaces. Masking is one of the strongest tools to help prevent transmission and a post-holiday COVID-19 surge. For the best protection, well-fitting, high-filtration masks, preferably N95s, KN95s or KF94s, should be worn securely over the nose and mouth.

While some people may experience COVID-19 symptoms, such as a fever, coughing and sneezing, a few days after exposure, it can take up to 10 days for others to test positive or display symptoms of infection. During that time, they can shed virus and unintentionally expose others to the disease.

In order to avoid outbreaks at businesses and schools, Public Health officials ask that everyone wear a mask for at least the first 10 days when returning to work and school after their winter holiday break.

Step 3: Residents should stay home when sick. Even if they test negative for COVID-19, other respiratory illnesses are circulating at high levels this winter, including flu and respiratory syncytial virus, and both viruses can cause serious illness, hospitalizations and death.

Mortality remains very high for COVID in Los Angeles County, especially when compared to other respiratory viruses. Since October 2022, 746 county residents died of COVID-related illness. By comparison, over this same time period, there were 43 known flu-related deaths in Los Angeles County, though CDC modeling data estimates the true number was closer to 360 people.

With COVID-19 transmission levels still high, Los Angeles County residents are urged to wash their hands frequently, get the new bivalent booster and, if they test positive and have symptoms, such as fever, coughing, sneezing, unusual fatigue or muscle aches, take oral antiviral medications within five days of symptom onset.

The new bivalent booster can protect against both the original virus that causes COVID-19 and Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants. The bivalent booster is also expected to provide protection against the newer BQ strains, which are sublineages of BA.5. More than 6 million residents who are eligible for the booster have not yet received it and are encouraged to do so.

These updated boosters, plus flu vaccines, are readily available at Public Health sites, pharmacies, and other locations across the county. Go to VaccinateLACounty.com to find nearby vaccination sites, request a mobile vaccination team for your worksite or community event, or an in-home visit if you or someone you know is homebound. Insurance is not required, and callers can be assisted in multiple languages, regardless of immigration status.

If a person tests positive for COVID-19 and has symptoms, oral antiviral medications, such as Paxlovid, are available by prescription. A person may speak to their provider, access telehealth services by contacting Public Health at 1-833-540-0473 or find resources at ph.lacounty.gov/covidmedicines. These medications should be started within five days of symptom onset and may be taken at home.

Resources are available for anyone who tests positive or has COVID symptoms, even if their health care provider is closed for the holiday. Test to treat sites, where tests and prescriptions for medications, if appropriate, are open throughout Los Angeles County. To find a site or for more information, visit ph.lacounty.gov/covidmedicines.

“For those who have lost a loved one to COVID-19, I extend my deepest sympathies. I wish you peace and healing in the upcoming year,” said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “I am hopeful that we can get through this winter without the devastation witnessed during our previous two winter surges, while recognizing that there are still significant risks, especially with the potential of a new COVID strain. Collectively, our actions can make for a safe and healthy 2023 and I do want to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart who has been taking steps to prevent transmission, helping to lower our numbers and save people’s lives.”

The 7-day average case count in the county is 2,359, a 9% decrease from one week ago when the 7-day average of 2,595 cases was reported.

And over the past seven days, the average number of daily COVID-positive patients in LA County hospitals is 1,207, nearly the same as last week when the average number of COVID-positive patients per day was 1,235.

The county is currently reporting an average of 16 deaths per day, a welcomed decrease from the average of 22 deaths reported per day a week ago.

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 528.

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: 429

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 96,518 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

Santa Clarita: 71,261

Castaic: 9,408

Stevenson Ranch: 5,792

Canyon Country: 3,646

Acton: 1,962

Val Verde: 1,192

Agua Dulce: 969

Valencia: 918

Saugus: 335

Elizabeth Lake: 282

Bouquet Canyon: 198

Lake Hughes: 199

Saugus/Canyon Country: 124

Newhall: 105

Sand Canyon: 59

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, Dec. 29.

Vaccinations

– 86,925,789 total vaccines administered.

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

– 28,637 people a day are receiving COVID-19 vaccination (average daily dose count over 7 days).

Cases

– California has 10,888,090 confirmed cases to date.

– Thursday’s average case count is 6,773 (average daily case count over 7 days).

– During October 2022, unvaccinated people were 2.2 times more likely to get COVID-19 than people who were vaccinated with at least a primary series.

Testing

The testing positivity rate is 11.9% (average rate over 7 days).

Hospitalizations

– There are 4,561 hospitalizations statewide.

– There are 537 ICU patients statewide.

During October 2022, unvaccinated people were 2.4 times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 than people who were vaccinated with at least a primary series.

Deaths

– There have been 97,757 COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

– COVID-19 claims the lives of 27 Californians each day (average daily death count over 7 days).

– During October 2022, unvaccinated people were 3.1 times more likely to die from COVID-19 than people who were vaccinated with at least a primary series.

Health Care Workers

As of Dec. 28, local health departments have reported 187,817 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 599 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.