The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health on Monday confirmed 88 new deaths and 9,927 new cases of COVID-19 countywide, as Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital in Valencia reported 7 new fatalities since Friday.

One patient died Friday, two died Saturday, and four more died Sunday, hospital spokesman Patrick Moody said Monday afternoon.

The Santa Clarita Valley has reached 21,956 total COVID-19 cases — 767 more than Friday — and 165 deaths since the pandemic began.

The number of new cases and deaths reported Monday reflects a reporting lag from over the weekend and holiday, Public Health officials said in their Monday update.

To date, Public Health identified 1,024,190 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 13,936 deaths.

There are 7,328 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 23% of them are in the ICU.

According to the state, the Southern California Region continues to have 0% available ICU capacity.

Testing results are available for more than 5,250,000 individuals with 18% of people testing positive.

“We wish healing and peace to those grieving a loved one who passed away from COVID-19,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health.

“As we honor the legacy of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. today, we are reminded that, together, we can make change for the better,” Ferrer said. “We are closer and closer to ending this pandemic, and collective action is what makes the difference in how many more people die. It will take a few more months before there is enough vaccine supply available and enough people vaccinated to provide us with the level of protection needed to end the pandemic.”

Two COVID-19 Variants ID’d in L.A. County

On Saturday, L.A. County Public Health officials confirmed the county’s first case of COVID-19 variant B.1.1.7 in an individual who recently spent time in the county.

On Sunday, the California Department of Public Health announced that an L452R variant of COVID-19 is increasingly being identified by viral genomic sequencing in multiple counties across the state, including L.A. County.

“Given the emergence of variants that may be more easily transmissible, now would be the time to figure out how you should modify your current activities to reduce exposure to others since many people who are out and about are infected with COVID-19,” Ferrer said. “Please continue to stay home as much as possible, wear a face covering and stay at least 6 feet away from people you do not live with at all times.”

Read more about the variants here.

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

California Monday Snapshot

Statewide, as of Sunday, January 17, California Department of Public Health officials confirmed a total of 2,942,475 COVID-19 cases (up 42,229), with 33,392 deaths from the disease (up 432) since the pandemic began.

There are 20,138 confirmed hospitalizations and 4,719 ICU hospitalizations in the state, a slight downward trend.

As of Sunday, local health departments have reported 80,009 confirmed positive cases in healthcare workers and 303 deaths statewide.

There have been 38,655,756 COVID-19 tests conducted so far in California. This represents an increase of 427,141 during the prior 24-hour reporting period.

The 7-day positivity rate is 10.6% and the 14-day positivity rate is 12.2%, a slight decrease.

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

As of Sunday, providers have reported administering a total of 1,393,224 vaccine doses statewide. Numbers do not represent true day-to-day change as reporting may be delayed.

Also as of Sunday, a total of 3,226,775 vaccine doses, which includes the first and second doses, have been shipped to local health departments and health care systems that have facilities in multiple counties.

Vaccine Distribution Opening to Seniors 65 and Older

In order to increase the pace of COVID-19 vaccine distribution to those at greatest risk, the state as of January 13 began prioritizing individuals 65 and older to receive the vaccine as demand subsides among healthcare workers.

This effort is designed to help to reduce hospitalizations and save lives.

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 cases in the United States as of Monday afternoon, January 18, 2021.

Global Cases Near 100,000,000; U.S Deaths Near 400,000 People

Worldwide, 95,435,122 people have been infected by COVID-19 while 2,037,076 people have died of the virus as of 1:22 p.m. Monday Pacific Time, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

In the U.S., more than 24,041,339 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 398,588.

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 209,847, and No. 3 in cases with 8,488,099. India (population 1.353 billion) is No. 2 in cases, with 10,571,773 confirmed infections and 152,419 deaths as of Monday afternoon.

The world faces a “catastrophic moral failure” because of unequal COVID vaccine policies, the head of the World Health Organization warned Monday. Read more here.

Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital Monday Update

The 7 additional fatalities from Friday, Saturday, and Sunday Henry Mayo reported Monday bring the hospital’s COVID-19 death toll to 103 patients since the pandemic began, according to spokesman Patrick Moody.

In November, 8 COVID-19 patients died at Henry Mayo. In December, four times that many people — 34 — died at the hospital, Moody said, an average of more than one death per day.

In 2021, as of January 17, the hospital has already reported 31 patient deaths, now averaging nearly two per day.

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.

As of Monday, 90 patients were hospitalized in dedicated COVID-19 units receiving ICU-level care (eight fewer than Friday), and a total of 893 COVID-19 patients have been treated and discharged so far, Moody said.

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

Due to staffing shortages and a large number of COVID-19 patient admissions, Henry Mayo on Monday, December 30 issued a “code triage” alert and put out a call for nurses and doctors to fill open staff positions.

Santa Clarita Valley Monday Update

As of 6 p.m. Saturday, the latest update of the L.A. County Public Health dashboard recorded 158 deaths among Santa Clarita Valley residents since the pandemic began, but did not yet include the 7 fatalities reported by Henry Mayo on

Of the 165 SCV residents who have died, 135 lived in Santa Clarita, 8 in Castaic, 5 in Acton, 4 in Stevenson Ranch, 3 in unincorporated Canyon Country, 1 in Agua Dulce, 1 in unincorporated Bouquet Canyon, 1 in Val Verde, and 7 in communities not yet named.

Of the 21,956 confirmed COVID-19 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

* City of Santa Clarita: 15,879

* Castaic: 3,288 (incl. Pitchess Detention Center & North County Correctional Facility*)

* Stevenson Ranch: 853

* Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 640

* Acton: 366

* Val Verde: 244

* Agua Dulce: 188

* Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 143

* Saugus (unincorporated portion): 109

* Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 59

* Elizabeth Lake: 64

* Bouquet Canyon: 38

* Lake Hughes: 34

* Saugus/Canyon Country: 26

* Sand Canyon: 13

* San Francisquito/Bouquet Canyon: 12

*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 Vaccine Update

Public Health will host a COVID-19 Vaccine Virtual Town Hall on Tuesday, January 19, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Join the town hall to learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine, how it was developed, where it will be distributed in our communities, and when it will be made available to the general public.

The town hall will be streamed live on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube @lapublichealth. For more information and to submit a question, visit: http://tinyurl.com/askcovidtownhall.

Skilled Nursing Facilities Vaccination Update

Public Health reports that 335 of 340 (nearly 99%) of all skilled nursing facilities in the county received and administered their first doses of COVID-19 vaccine. Nearly 39,000 doses have been administered to staff and residents. The remaining facilities are currently vaccinating or are scheduling vaccinations this week. Additionally, for facilities that completed their first doses, Public Health is supporting the distribution and administration of their second doses of vaccine.

All skilled nursing facilities in the county conduct weekly testing of residents and staff. For the week of January 2, more than 70,000 COVID-19 tests were completed among staff and residents. A total of 2,532 people tested positive for COVID-19; 1,423 new cases among residents and 1,109 new cases among staff; this is a positivity rate of just under 4% and significantly lower than the positivity rate among the general public (15%).

Public Health remains in regular contact with skilled nursing facilities and provides facilities with technical assistance, guidance, emergency supplies of personal protective equipment, and COVID-19 vaccine and testing support. The proportion of deaths occurring among residents at skilled nursing facilities has dropped from 50% last summer to under 7% this winter.

The registration system for these five large-capacity vaccination centers for healthcare workers opened Wednesday, January 13. Visit the healthcare worker signup website.

For up-to-date information, visit VaccinateLACounty.com.

L.A. County Demographics — Race & Ethnicity

As the COVID-19 pandemic worsens, certain groups are again bearing a greater burden of serious illness than others.

Latino/Latinx residents are now experiencing a 7-day cumulative rate that has more than doubled, from 773 cases per 100,000 people on December 1, to 1,763 cases per 100,000 people on January 6. This is more than two times that of African American/Black residents, the group with the second-highest case rate of about 790 cases per 100,000 individuals. White residents experienced 650 cases per 100,000 people and Asian residents are close behind with 555 cases per100,000 individuals.

The county is witnessing the tragedy from the surge in cases, and Latino/Latinx residents are faring the worst. In early-November, the death rate among Latino/Latinx residents increased more than 800%, from 3.5 deaths per 100,000 residents a day to 28 deaths per 100,000 residents a day.

Over this same period, the death rate among African American/Black residents increased from less than 1 death per 100,000 people a day to more than 15 deaths per 100,000 people. Deaths also have increased dramatically among Asian residents, from 0.5 deaths per 100,000 people in early November to 12 deaths per 100,000 people, and among white residents, there are now 10 deaths per 100,000 people.

Officials continue to see a high mortality rate among people living in areas with the highest levels of poverty, with three times the death rate compared to people living in the lowest levels of poverty.

L.A. County remains deeply committed to addressing the root causes of this disproportionate impact on health. This means standing up against racism, increasing access to medical care, and ensuring that every individual, family, and community has the resources needed to survive this pandemic. Individuals and families living in the hardest-hit communities remain a priority for the county as it moves toward a mass vaccination program.

L.A. County Demographics — Deaths by Age Group

Of the 88 new deaths reported today, 26 people that passed away were over the age of 80, 32 people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79, 22 people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64, and seven people who died were between the ages of 30 and 49.

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

Young people are continuing to drive the surge of the virus’s community spread with disastrous results for our elderly.

* 0 to 4: 19027

* 5 to 11: 46246

* 12 to 17: 57530

* 18 to 29: 232855

* 30 to 49: 325433

* 50 to 64: 185112

* 65 to 79: 72665

* over 80: 26375

* Under Investigation 6160

Targeted Stay at Home Orders Issued by the State

The targeted Stay at Home Orders issued by the California Department of Public Health and adopted by the L.A. County Health Officer have been extended and remain in effect.

These orders will remain in effect as long as hospital ICU capacity remains below the 15% threshold established by the state. These orders prohibit gathering with non-household members, require everyone to stay at home as much as possible, reduce occupancy limits at businesses, and require masking and distancing whenever around others.

The Southern California region’s ICU capacity remains 0% as of Monday.

Outdoor exercise is encouraged as long as you remain distanced and wear a face covering when around others.

The Health Officer Orders also require that all non-essential business and activities cease between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. A complete list of the current safety modifications can be found online. These orders are in place for your safety and the safety of others – to reduce the potential for virus transmission.

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 Regional Stay Home Order
Due to high rates of COVID-19 hospitalizations impacting the health care system, California is under a Limited Stay at Home Order. The order applies to all counties that are currently under the Regional Stay at Home Order and those in Tier One (Purple) of the Blueprint for a Safer Economy.

The Limited Stay at Home Order will expire after the Regional Stay Home Order has been terminated in all regions of the state.

Regions must remain under the Regional Stay at Home Order for at least three weeks and will be eligible to exit the order and return to the Blueprint for a Safer Economy only if ICU capacity projections for the following month are above or equal to 15%.

ICU capacity projections for regions that are eligible to exit the order are calculated daily based on four factors: current estimated regional ICU capacity available, the measure of current community transmission, current regional case rates, and the proportion of ICU cases being admitted.

Projected ICU capacity remains below 15% in the Bay Area, San Joaquin Valley and Southern California regions, which remain under the Regional Stay at Home Order. The order will be lifted for a region once its four-week ICU projection shows a capacity of greater than or equal to 15%.

Decreasing community transmission and increasing the health system capacity can help a region’s projected ICU capacity so they can exit the order.

The state continues to support hospital systems and congregate care facilities across the state as ICU capacity continues to drop. The state is providing staff assistance, personal protective gear, durable medical equipment and supplies, and infection prevention technical assistance.

On Sunday, December 13, CDPH implemented a temporary waiver of nurse-to-patient ratios for intensive care units, step-down units, emergency medical services and medical and surgical units. In addition, more than 300 additional medical staff has been deployed across the state, with more expected before the end of the month.

Read the full Regional Stay Home Order and Supplement to the Order, and Frequently Asked Questions.

Hospital Surge Order Jan. 15 Update

CDPH updated the Hospital Surge Public Health Order to clarify when hospitals must make notifications to state and local authorities on January 15.

The update included technical updates and updates on when specific terms of the order take effect. The updated order continues to require some non-essential and non-life-threatening surgeries to be delayed in counties with 10% or less of ICU capacity under the Regional Stay at Home Order where the regional ICU capacity is at 0%.

Examples of procedures that may be delayed include carpal tunnel release and non-urgent spine surgeries. Surgeries for patients who have serious and urgent medical conditions will continue. Examples of procedures that will continue include serious cancer removal and necessary heart surgeries.

The order requires hospitals statewide to accept patient transfers from facilities that have implemented contingency or crisis care guidelines as long as those transfers can be done capably and safely.

Counties currently impacted by the Hospital Surge Order:

San Joaquin Valley: Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Merced, San Benito, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, and Tulare.

Southern California: Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Barbara, and Ventura.

Crisis Care Continuum Guidelines
On Monday, December 28, the California Department of Public Health released an All Facilities Letter (AFL) on implementing the Crisis Care Continuum Guidelines issued in June. With the current surge in the pandemic, many hospitals are stretched to capacity.

The guidelines support facilities that are adapting their operations and space, including staff and other resources, to handle the surge as best as possible.

In addition to this support, it’s critical that all facilities are prepared for crisis care, during which times medical professionals may have to make hard choices about allocating treatments.

The state does not determine when a hospital implements crisis care standards: that’s determined by the on-the-ground conditions, hospital capacity, and available resources. The state’s role is to ensure all hospitals have done appropriate planning to make difficult decisions and to help hospitals remain in crisis care mode for as brief a period as possible.

For more information, see the December 28 AFL and the Crisis Care Continuum Guidelines (PDF) issued in June.

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.

Californians can go to covid19.ca.gov to find out where their county falls and what activities are allowable in each county.

California Testing
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 January 3 to January 9, the average time patients waited for test results was 1.4 days. During this same time period, 62% of patients received test results in one day and 90% received them within two 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.

‘Safe Schools for All’ Plan
On Wednesday, December 30, Governor Newsom released his California’s “Safe Schools for All” plan, California’s framework to support schools to continue operating safely in person and to expand the number of schools safely resuming in-person instruction.

Vaccinate All 58
The first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine are being administered to health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities. The state is working closely with community partners and stakeholders to help ensure the vaccine is distributed and administered equitably across California.

For more information, visit the CDPH COVID-19 Vaccine webpage and the Vaccinate All 58 webpage.

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.

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 January 11, 167 cases of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (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

California is experiencing the fastest increase in cases we have seen yet – faster than what we experienced at the outset of the pandemic and this summer. If COVID-19 continues to spread at this rate, it could quickly overwhelm our health care system and lead to catastrophic outcomes.

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.

* Staying close to home, 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

* 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 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.

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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