Los Angeles County Public Health officials on Monday confirmed 21 new deaths and 943 new cases of COVID-19 countywide, while Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital in Valencia reported two new deaths, bringing the hospital’s total up to 140 deaths since the pandemic began.

The lower number of deaths and cases may reflect reporting delays over the weekend.

To date, Public Health identified 1,181,403 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 19,904 deaths.

The SCV has now tallied 25,693 COVID-19 cases — 305 more than Friday — and 251 deaths since L.A. county’s first confirmed COVID-19 infection was reported by Public Health officials on January 26, 2020.

The seven-day average number of daily cases peaked at more than 15,000 cases on January 8 and has now dropped by 90% to 1,600 a day.

This significant drop in case numbers reflects actions and choices taken by millions of residents, workers, and employers.

There are 2,213 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 31% of these people are in the ICU.

Testing results are available for nearly 5,771,000 individuals with 19% of people testing positive. Today’s daily test positivity rate is 3.4%, continuing a downward trend.

“We know that there are many people across our county who are mourning the loss of someone to COVID-19. We send you our deepest condolences during this very sad time,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health.

Ferrer noted this week is when the county could begin to see increases in cases resulting from gatherings over Super Bowl weekend.

“Half a million people have passed away across our nation, and here in L.A. County, we are approaching the terrible milestone of 20,000 deaths,” she said. “We hope that people chose to celebrate the Super Bowl and the Presidents Day weekend safely, with members of their household. Should we continue to see fewer cases, we can move forward in our recovery, as lower case rates allow for other sector re-openings.

“Last week, the decline in the daily case rate allowed schools the option of reopening for in-class instruction for students in grades TK through 6. When the case rate drops to 7 new cases per 100,000, schools would have the option of allowing in-class instruction for students in grades 7 through 12,” Ferrer said.

See more SCV and L.A. County info and a vaccine update later in this report.

California Monday Snapshot

Statewide, as of Sunday, February 21, the California Department of Public Health officials confirmed 3,446,611 of COVID-19 cases (up 4,665) with 49,338 deaths from the disease (up 233) since the pandemic began.

There are 6,569 confirmed hospitalizations and 1,933 ICU hospitalizations in the state, continuing a downward trend.

As of February 21, local health departments have reported 93,494 confirmed positive cases in healthcare workers and 392 deaths statewide.

There have been 47,320,802 tests conducted in California. This represents an increase of 277,454 during the prior 24-hour reporting period.

The 7-day positivity rate is 3.0% and the 14-day positivity rate is 3.3%, continuing a downward trend.

Numbers do not represent true day-over-day change as these results may include cases from prior to yesterday.

As of Saturday, February 20, providers have reported administering a total of 7,437,925 vaccine doses statewide. Numbers do not represent true day-to-day change as reporting may be delayed.

The CDC reports that 8,832,770 doses have been delivered to entities within the state, and 9,857,175 vaccine doses, which includes the first and second dose, have been shipped.

See more California information later in this report.

Screencap from the Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering COVID-19 dashboard, showing COVID deaths in the United States as of Monday afternoon, February 22, 2021.

U.S. Deaths Reach Half a Million People; Global Cases Surpass 110 Million People

Worldwide, 111,633,620 people have been infected by COVID-19 while 2,471,494 people have died of the virus as of 12:24 p.m. Monday Pacific Time, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

In the U.S., more than 28,168,735 Americans have been diagnosed with COVID-19. The number of people in the U.S. who have died due to the virus has now surpassed 499,902.

With 4.25% of the world’s population (328.2 million) and more than 20% of the confirmed COVID-19 cases, the U.S. also continues to lead the world in deaths.

By comparison, Brazil (population 209.5 million) is No. 2 in deaths with 246,504 — half of the U.S. total — and No. 3 in cases with 10,168,174. India (population 1.353 billion) is No. 2 in cases, with 11,005,850 confirmed infections and No. 4 in deaths with 156,385, behind No. 3 Mexico’s 180,107 deaths, as of Monday afternoon.

Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital Monday Update

Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital reported two new deaths Monday from COVID-19, bringing the hospital’s total number of COVID-19 fatalities to 140 to date, according to hospital spokesman Patrick Moody.

As of Monday, February 22, one case was pending, 18 patients were hospitalized in dedicated COVID-19 units receiving ICU-level care (up five since Friday), and a total of 1,135 patients had been treated and discharged, Moody said.

Henry Mayo releases complete statistics weekly, usually on Wednesdays, unless one or more new deaths occur.

Privacy laws prohibit Henry Mayo from releasing the community of residence for patients who die at the hospital; residence info is reported by the L.A. County Public Health COVID-19 dashboard, which generally lags 48 hours behind.

Santa Clarita Valley Monday Update

As of 6 p.m. Saturday, the latest update of the L.A. County Public Health dashboard recorded 249 deaths among Santa Clarita Valley residents since the pandemic began, but did not include the two new deaths reported Monday by Henry Mayo.

Of the 251 SCV residents who have died, 214 lived in Santa Clarita, 14 in Castaic, seven in Acton, four in Stevenson Ranch, three in unincorporated Canyon Country, two in Agua Dulce, one in Newhall, one in unincorporated Bouquet Canyon, one in Lake Hughes, one in Val Verde, one in Valencia, and two in communities not yet named.

Of the 25,693 confirmed COVID-19 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

* City of Santa Clarita: 18,762

* Castaic: 3,541 (incl. Pitchess Detention Center & North County Correctional Facility*)

* Stevenson Ranch: 1027

* Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 774

* Acton: 443

* Val Verde: 307

* Agua Dulce: 251

* Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 174

* Saugus (unincorporated portion): 131

* Elizabeth Lake: 74

* Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 66

* Bouquet Canyon: 43

* Lake Hughes: 40

* Saugus/Canyon Country: 39

* Sand Canyon: 15

* San Francisquito/Bouquet Canyon: 14

* Placerita Canyon: 1

*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.

L.A. County Demographics — Cases by Age Group (excluding Long Beach and Pasadena)

* 0 to 4: 22054

* 5 to 11: 53447

* 12 to 17: 66980

* 18 to 29: 264809

* 30 to 49: 372232

* 50 to 64: 215992

* 65 to 79: 86239

* over 80: 31289

* Under Investigation 6789

L.A. County Demographics — Deaths by Age Group

Of the 21 new deaths reported today, five people were over the age of 80, six people were between the ages of 65 and 79, seven people were between the ages of 50 and 64, two people were between the ages of 30 and 49, and one person was between the ages of 18 and 29.

Vaccine & Vaccination Update

At this time, vaccination continues to be only open to healthcare workers, residents, and staff at long-term care facilities, and people who are age 65 or older which account for approximately 2.2 million people in L.A. County.

Three additional sectors will become eligible for vaccine starting on March 1; education and childcare, food and agriculture, and first responders and law enforcement. The county is working with partners to offer multiple opportunities for vaccinating the more than 1.8 million workers that will be eligible for vaccine beginning March 1.

While COVID-19 vaccine supply remains very limited, Public Health continues to build an extensive network with pharmacies, federally qualified health centers, hospitals, health clinics, and community vaccination sites, including seven large-capacity sites:

* Dodger Stadium (operated by the city of Los Angeles)

* Six Flags Magic Mountain, 26101 Magic Mountain Pkwy, Valencia 91355

* California State University, Northridge, 18111 Nordhoff St, Northridge 91330

* Pomona Fairplex, 1101 W McKinley Ave, Pomona 91768

* The Forum, 3900 W Manchester Blvd, Inglewood 90305

* L.A. County Office of Education, 12830 Columbia Way, Downey 90242

* California State University, Los Angeles, 5151 State University Drive, Los Angeles 90032 (operated by FEMA)

The state is also transitioning the vaccination effort statewide to be coordinated by Blue Shield of California. During and after this transition, Public Health’s website, www.VaccinateLACounty.com and www.VaccunateLosAngeles.com, will remain a portal for the latest information about COVID-19 and the vaccine and link people to the statewide appointment registration system.

Doses by the Numbers

Nearly 1,771,000 doses of vaccine have been administered across the county. Of those vaccinated, 513,586 people have received second doses. Currently, only healthcare workers, residents, and staff at long-term care facilities, and people who are age 65 or older are eligible to be vaccinated and this accounts for approximately 2.2 million people in L.A. County.

Of all those currently eligible for the vaccine, 80% on average, have received at least one dose, and 23% are fully vaccinated.

There continues to be a scarcity of supply and variability in the amount of vaccine received from week to week. To date, Public Health has received 1,831,075 doses of vaccine. The county has capacity for almost 500,000 appointment slots this week, however, there are only enough doses for 209,000 appointments.

Our large capacity vaccination sites alone could provide 157,000 additional doses this week if there was sufficient vaccine supply. At this time, as more vaccine comes into L.A. County, our priority is to ensure that eligible residents and workers in the hardest-hit communities have easy access to vaccines.

Skilled Nursing Facilities Vaccine Update

Medically fragile residents at skilled nursing facilities are at great risk for serious illness and death from COVID-19, and along with healthcare workers, were among the first to receive COVID-19 vaccines.

As of February 14, 77% of staff and 74% of residents at skilled nursing facilities received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Of these people who received first doses, 83% of staff and 79% of residents received their second dose. With many more staff and residents vaccinated, new cases should continue to decline which will mean fewer outbreaks and fewer deaths.

As of February 7, the seven-day average number of daily cases associated with skilled nursing facilities dropped from over 100 just four weeks ago, to 5. As cases have decreased, the number of deaths among people at skilled nursing facilities has also dropped, and the current daily average number of deaths is 7.

It is important to note that these facilities did not experience the same steep surge that the county experienced in December and January.

New Sectors Eligible for Vaccine March 1

On March 1, three additional sectors become eligible to receive vaccinations; education and childcare, food and agriculture, and emergency services and first responders.

The county is working with these sectors and other partners to finalize vaccination strategies that offer multiple sites where eligible workers can get vaccinated. There are approximately 691,000 people in the education and childcare sector, 145,000 people in the emergency services and law enforcement, and 470,000 people in the food and agriculture sector eligible for a vaccine.

There are vaccinators at the more than 400 vaccination sites who every day are providing vaccines to thousands of people, and many partners who are continually innovating to create ways for people who are living in the hardest-hit areas to have access to the vaccine. There is no shortage of heroes here in L.A. County, and Public Health officials could not be more grateful for all of this amazing work.

L.A. County Public Health’s Reopening Protocols, COVID-19 Surveillance Interactive Dashboard, Roadmap to Recovery, Recovery Dashboard, and additional things you can do to protect yourself, your family and your community are on the Public Health website, www.publichealth.lacounty.gov.

California Blueprint for a Safer Economy

Governor Newsom’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy imposes risk-based criteria on tightening and loosening COVID-19 allowable activities and expands the length of time between changes to assess how any movement affects the trajectory of the disease.

With the Regional Stay at Home Order rescinded statewide as of January 25, all counties are now under the rules and framework of the Blueprint for a Safer Economy and color-coded tiers that indicate which activities and businesses are open based on local case rates and test positivity.

* 52 counties are currently in the Purple (widespread) Tier (including Los Angeles County)

* 3 counties are currently in the Red (substantial) Tier (Del Norte, Mariposa, Plumas)

* 3 counties are currently in the Orange (moderate) Tier (Alpine, Sierra, Trinity)

* No counties are in the Yellow Tier

Blueprint tiers are updated weekly on Tuesdays. Find the status of activities in specific counties.

Vaccinate All 58
In order to increase the pace of COVID-19 vaccine distribution to those at greatest risk, the state is prioritizing individuals 65 and older to receive the vaccine as demand subsides among health care workers. This effort will help to reduce hospitalizations and save lives.

To sign up for a notification when you’re eligible for a vaccine, visit myturn.ca.gov.

For more information on the vaccine effort, visit the Vaccinate All 58 webpage.

‘Safe Schools for All’ Plan
Governor Newsom launched the Safe Schools for All Hub as a one-stop-shop for information about safe in-person instruction.

For more information on the transparency, accountability, and assistance measures related to California’s Safe Schools for All plan, visit the hub.

Travel Advisory

California Public Health has issued an updated travel advisory. Postponing travel and staying home is the best way to protect yourself and others from COVID-19.

Non-essential travelers from other states or countries are strongly discouraged from entering California and should adhere to the state’s self-quarantine procedures for 10 days.

California Demographics: Health Equity Dashboard

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted existing inequities in health that are the result of structural racism and poverty, and the disproportionate prevalence of underlying conditions such as asthma and heart disease among Latinos and African Americans.

As part of its commitment to reduce health inequities and ensure the best outcomes for all Californians, the state has launched a Health Equity Dashboard on www.covid19.ca.gov/equity/ that tracks California’s health equity measure and data by race and ethnicity, age group, and sexual orientation/gender identity.

California Testing & Turnaround Time
More than 85 community testing sites offer free, confidential testing: Find a COVID-19 Testing Site.

The testing turnaround dashboard reports how long California patients are waiting for COVID-19 test results. California has worked to reduce testing turnaround times in recent weeks to help curb the spread of the virus.

During the week of February 7 to February 13, the average time patients waited for test results was 1.1 days. The testing turnaround time dashboard (PDF) is updated weekly.

All four tiers in the Testing Prioritization Guidance originally dated July 14, 2020, have equal priority for testing.

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)

Each week, the California Department of Public Health updates the number of cases of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) reported in the state.

As of February 15, 266 cases of MIS-C have been reported statewide. To protect patient confidentiality in counties with fewer than 11 cases, we are not providing total counts at this time.

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. Parents should be aware of the signs and symptoms of MIS-C including fever that does not go away, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, neck pain, rash, bloodshot eyes, or feeling tired.

Contact your child’s doctor immediately if your child has these symptoms. Early diagnosis and treatment of patients are critical to preventing long-term complications.

Protect Yourself and Your Family: Your Actions Save Lives

Protect yourself, family, friends, and community by following these prevention measures:

* Staying home except for essential needs/activities following local and state public health guidelines when patronizing approved businesses. To the extent that sectors are re-opened, Californians may leave their homes to work at, patronize, or otherwise engage with those businesses, establishments or activities.

* Avoiding non-essential travel, and practicing self-quarantine for 14 days after arrival if you leave the state.

* Keeping interactions to people who live in your household.

* Wearing a cloth face mask when out in public.

* Washing hands with soap and water for a minimum of 20 seconds.

* Avoiding touching eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.

* Covering a cough or sneeze with your sleeve or disposable tissue. Wash your hands afterward.

* Avoiding close contact with people who are sick.

* Staying away from work, school, or other people if you become sick with respiratory symptoms like fever and cough.

* Getting tested if you believe you’ve been exposed. Free, confidential testing is available statewide.

* Getting vaccinated when it’s your turn.

* Adding your phone to the fight by signing up for COVID-19 exposure notifications from CA Notify.

* Answering the call if a contact tracer from the CA COVID Team or local health department tries to connect.

* Following guidance from public health officials.

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 healthcare provider before seeking medical care so that appropriate precautions can be taken.

It’s important if someone thinks they could be positive for COVID-19 and are awaiting testing results to stay at home and act as if they are positive. This means self-isolating for 10 days and 72 hours after symptoms and fever subside.

If a person tests positive for COVID-19, they should plan on receiving a call from a public health specialist to discuss how to protect themselves and others, find out where they may have been, and who they were in close contact with while infectious.

California COVID-19 Data and Tools

A wide range of data and analysis guides California’s response to COVID-19. The state is making the data and its analytical tools available to researchers, scientists and the public at covid19.ca.gov.

* The Statewide COVID-19 Dashboard

* The California COVID-19 Assessment Tool (CalCAT)

* State Cases and Deaths Associated with COVID-19 by Age Group

* COVID-19 Race & Ethnicity Data

* COVID-19 Hospital Data and Case Statistics

* View additional datasets at the California Open Data Portal (including Testing Data, PPE Logistics Data, Hospital Data, Homeless Impact and more)

Consolidated guidance is available on the California Department of Public Health’s Guidance webpage.

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Always check with trusted sources for the latest accurate information about novel coronavirus (COVID-19):

* Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

* California Department of Public Health

* Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

* Spanish

* World Health Organization

* Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 Dashboard

L.A. County residents can also call 2-1-1.

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