The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed Friday 68 additional deaths and 2,406 new cases of COVID-19 countywide, with 55 new cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.

This new data brings Los Angeles County death totals to 30,587, county case totals to 2,791,630 and Santa Clarita Valley case totals to 71,605 since March of 2020.

Today, Public Health confirmed of COVID-19. Of the 68 new deaths reported today, one person was between the ages of 18-29, four were between the ages of 30-49, 15 were between the ages of 50-64, 18 were between the ages of 65-79, and 28 were aged 80 years or older. Of the 68 newly reported deaths, 55 had underlying health conditions. Information on the one death reported by the City of Long Beach and the one death 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 30,587.

Public Health has reported a total of 2,791,630 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County. Today’s positivity rate is 1.9%.

There are 1,105 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized. Testing results are available for more than 11,397,700 individuals, with 22% of people testing positive.

Boosters Reduce Cases at Skilled Nursing Facilities:

Since the announcement of the healthcare worker booster requirement in late December, vaccination and booster rates have continued to improve among both residents and staff at skilled nursing facilities. While there is still progress to be made, efforts to vaccinate, boost, mask and follow other safety measures have proven to be effective in keeping many of our most vulnerable residents healthy and safe.

For the week of Feb. 17-23, skilled nursing facilities reported 176 new cases among residents and 116 new cases among staff. This represents a 41% and 32% reduction in new cases, respectively, when compared to the previous week.

Furthermore, vaccination and booster rates among residents and staff have continued to improve. Among eligible residents, as of Jan. 30, 91% of residents were fully vaccinated and 75% fully vaccinated and boosted.

Among eligible staff, vaccination rates are also very high with 97% fully vaccinated, and 69% fully vaccinated and boosted, which is more than double the 31% of eligible staff boosted on Dec. 19 when the state announced the requirement for workers at healthcare facilities to get boosted once eligible.

With high rates of up-to-date vaccinations, positive cases among all healthcare workers have significantly declined, resulting in less disruptions and staffing shortages across the county’s hospital system. For the week of February 18-24, there were 186 new positive cases, representing a 46% decline compared to the number of cases reported from the prior week.

“We share our condolences and heartfelt sympathies to anyone mourning the loss of life due to COVID-19”, said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “Protecting residents at nursing homes remains a high priority during this post-surge time. We appreciate all the nursing facility staff that are up to date on their vaccinations and encourage those working at these facilities to get their booster dose as soon as eligible to reduce the risk of transmission to residents at high risk of severe illness from the virus. We also encourage families and friends visiting their loved ones at nursing homes or other congregate care facilities to do the same and be up to date on their vaccinations. Testing before gathering with high-risk individuals remains an appropriate strategy that reduces unintentional exposures. While we welcome the declines in transmission and hospitalizations, those most vulnerable because they are older, immunocompromised, living with serious health conditions, or unvaccinated, still need the additional protections offered by the array of tools and strategies available to reduce risk.”

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).

Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital

Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital currently has zero tests pending, eight patients in the hospital and a total of 2,179 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.

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

Santa Clarita Valley Thursday Update
As of 5:30 p.m. Friday, the L.A. County Public Health dashboard reported two additional deaths from COVID-19 in the city of Santa Clarita bringing the total number of deaths from COVID-19 in the SCV to 432.

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

Santa Clarita: 355

Castaic: 27

Acton: 16

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 71,605 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

Santa Clarita: 53,230

Castaic: 7,038

Stevenson Ranch: 3,956

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 2,552

Acton: 1,496

Val Verde: 822

Agua Dulce: 774

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 661

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 309

Elizabeth Lake: 202

Bouquet Canyon: 147

Lake Hughes: 145

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

– 71,427,115 total vaccines administered.

– 83.0% of the eligible population (5+) has been vaccinated with at least one dose.

– 50,460 people a day are receiving COVID-19 vaccination (average daily dose count over 7 days).

Cases

– California has 8,361,704 confirmed cases to date.

– Monday’s average case count is 10,314 (average daily case count over 7 days).

– Unvaccinated people are 5.4 times more likely to get COVID-19 than boosted individuals (Jan. 31, 2022 – Feb. 6, 2022).

Testing

– The testing positivity rate is 4.0% (average rate over 7 days).

Hospitalizations

– There are 4,914 hospitalizations statewide.

– There are 960 ICU patients statewide.

– Unvaccinated people are 10.5 times more likely to be hospitalized than boosted individuals (Jan. 31, 2022 – Feb. 6, 2022).

Deaths

– There have been 83,992 COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

– COVID-19 claims the lives of 186 Californians each day (average daily death count over 7 days).

– Unvaccinated people are 16.0 times more likely to die than boosted individuals (Jan. 24, 2022 – Jan. 30, 2022).

Health Care Workers

Note: As of Feb. 24, local health departments have reported 148,051 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 568 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 Feb. 13 to Feb. 19, the average time patients waited for test results was one day. During this same time period, 88% of patients received test results in one day and 97% received them within two days.

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)

As of Feb. 22, there have been 828 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.