Los Angeles County Public Health officials on Monday confirmed 3 new deaths and 411 new cases of COVID-19 countywide, as cases in the Santa Clarita Valley now total 27,482 since the pandemic began.

To date, Public Health has identified 1,226,191 positive cases of COVID-19 and a total of 23,479 deaths countywide due to the disease, 299 of the fatalities in the SCV.

“I send my prayers to those who are experiencing grief. We are sending our love during this tragedy,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health.

The seven-day average number of daily cases by episode date remains at 400 new cases per day. L.A. County’s daily case numbers for the week ending April 4 are now lower than reported cases one year ago at the beginning of the pandemic, when Public Health reported 606 daily cases by episode date on April 4, 2020.

Right now, there are 470 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized. Testing results are available for more than 6,212,000 individuals with 18% of people testing positive. Monday’s daily test positivity rate is 1.3%.

The return of live music to California indoor venues is tuning up. Photo: Stephen K. Peeples/SCVTV.

On Thursday, L.A. County’s Heath Officer Order will be modified to align with the state’s latest mandates on indoor live events and performances, private events such as conferences, receptions and meetings, and private informal gatherings.

“Thankfully, California and Los Angeles County have yet to see the increases so many other states and communities across the country are seeing,” Ferrer said. “I am so grateful for our residents and businesses that are doing everything they can to stop the spread of this deadly virus that has claimed the lives of so many of our friends and family.

“Like so many of you, I feel hope for the first time in a long time, which makes it even more critical that we all follow the safety measures,” she said. “We cannot let up. Please continue wearing your masks and physically distancing from others when in public. And please review the information about the safety and effectiveness of the three vaccines currently available to protect from COVID 19 so that when it is your turn to get vaccinated you feel comfortable taking this important step.”

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

California Monday Snapshot

Statewide, as of Sunday, April 11, California Department of Public Health officials confirmed 3,602,827 COVID-19 cases (up 2,649) with 59,249 deaths from the disease (up 31) since the pandemic began.

As of April 6, local health departments have reported 104,727 confirmed positive cases in healthcare workers and 447 deaths statewide.

There are 1,783 people in hospitals statewide undergoing treatment for COVID-19, with 448 people in the ICU.

There have been 56,593,271 tests conducted in California, an increase of 229,596 during the prior 24-hour reporting period.

The 7-day test positivity rate is 1.5%, the lowest since the pandemic began, according to CDPH officials.

As of April 12, providers have reported administering a total of 22,974,654 vaccine doses statewide.

The CDC reports that 28,121,700 doses have been delivered to entities within the state.

Numbers do not represent true day-to-day change as reporting may be delayed.

The CDPH has also updated the state’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy reopening framework allowing additional activities to resume with modifications to reduce risk.

The updates include gatherings, private events or meetings such as receptions or conferences, and indoor seated live events and performances. The state updates will take effect April 15.

Places of Worship Update

In response to Friday’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling, effective Monday, CDPH has modified its gathering guidance to accommodate religious gatherings. Capacity limits on places of worship are not mandatory but are strongly recommended. See Sector Chart (under Places of Worship) for more information on the recommendations.

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, April 12, 2021.

Global Deaths Near 3 Million People

Worldwide, 136,299,006 people have been infected by COVID-19 while 2,940,670 people have died of the virus since the pandemic began, as of 12:20 p.m. Monday Pacific Time, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

In the U.S. — where, according to CDC officials, a fourth wave of COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations, and deaths is mounting as COVID-19 cases rise in more than 30 states — more than 31,242,193 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 562,428.

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, India (population 1.353 billion) is No. 2 in cases with 13,527,717 confirmed infections and No. 4 in deaths with 170,179, behind No. 3 Mexico’s 209,338 deaths. Brazil (population 209.5 million) is No. 3 in cases with 13,482,023 and No. 2 in deaths with 353,137 — almost half of the U.S. total — as of Monday afternoon.

Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital Monday Update

As of Monday, there were no cases pending, seven patients were hospitalized in a dedicated COVID-19 unit receiving ICU-level care, and a total of 1,199 patients had been treated and discharged since the pandemic began, according to Patrick Moody, spokesman for Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital.

There were no additional deaths, keeping the total deaths at 147 people to date. The most recent death was March 21. In 2020, 74 people died at the hospital of COVID-19. In 2021, the number stands at 73.

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.

Santa Clarita Valley Monday Update

As of 6 p.m. Saturday, the L.A. County Public Health COVID-19 dashboard recorded 299 deaths among Santa Clarita Valley residents since the pandemic began.

The following is the community breakdown of the 299 SCV residents who have died, according to the dashboard:

* 258 lived in Santa Clarita

* 17 in Castaic

* 6 in Acton

* 5 in Stevenson Ranch

* 3 in Agua Dulce

* 3 in unincorporated Canyon Country

* 1 in Valencia

* 1 in unincorporated Bouquet Canyon

* 1 in Elizabeth Lake

* 1 in Lake Hughes

* 1 in Newhall

* 1 in unincorporated Saugus/Canyon Country

* 1 in Val Verde

Of the 27,482 confirmed COVID-19 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

* City of Santa Clarita: 20,122

* Castaic: 3,705 (incl. Pitchess Detention Center & North County Correctional Facility*)

* Stevenson Ranch: 1,127

* Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 831

* Acton: 465

* Val Verde: 335

* Agua Dulce: 275

* Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 188

* Saugus (unincorporated portion): 128

* Elizabeth Lake: 76

* Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 68

* Bouquet Canyon: 47

* Lake Hughes: 41

* Saugus/Canyon Country: 38

* Sand Canyon: 17

* San Francisquito/Bouquet Canyon: 15

* 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: 28971

* 5 to 11: 55288

* 12 to 17: 69361

* 18 to 29: 275120

* 30 to 49: 386526

* 50 to 64: 224567

* 65 to 79: 89441

* over 80: 32573

* Under Investigation 696

L.A. County Demographics — ‘Shocking’ Differences in Mortality Rates

Of the 3 new deaths reported Monday, two people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64, and one person who died was between the ages of 30 and 49.

There are significant differences in mortality rates between males and females in L.A. County that are troubling since case rates among women and men are relatively similar, with 11,866 cases per 100,000 women and 11,330 cases per 100,000 men.

As of April 10, the cumulative mortality rate for females is 153 deaths per 100,000 women. Shockingly, the mortality rate among males in the county is nearly double, at 289 deaths per 100,000 men.

Black/African American and Latino/Latinx males also experience higher rates of mortality than Asian and White males. The mortality rate for Black male county residents is 267 deaths per 100,000 people and for Latino males, the mortality rate is 490 deaths per 100,000 people.

This is nearly two and a half times the mortality rate for Asian males and more than three times the mortality rate for white males.

Unfortunately, although men, and men of color in particular, have a significantly higher risk of dying from COVID-19, males in L.A. County, specifically Black and Latino males, have much lower vaccination rates.

Fewer males are being vaccinated than females, with only 30% of males in the county having received at least one dose of vaccine as of April 4, while 44% of females have received at least one dose of vaccine.

Black and Latino males are also being vaccinated at lower rates than vaccination rates for all other groups. Only 19% of Black males in the county and 17% of Latino males received at least one dose of vaccine, compared to 35% of Asian males and 32% of white males.

Public Health officials urge everyone to work much harder to make sure that men, who have the greatest chances of dying from COVID-19, are aware of their risk and that we are making it very easy for them to get vaccinated. Accurate information about the safety and effectiveness of the three available vaccines that protect from the COVID-19 virus needs to be widely available.

L.A. County Vaccine/Vaccinations Update

More than 5,100,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered to people across Los Angeles County. Of these, 3,300,000 were first doses and more than 1,800,000 were second doses.

On Thursday, April 15, COVID-19 vaccines become available to any resident in L.A. County 16 and older. The MyTurn website will be updated on Wednesday to reflect the change in eligibility; residents 16 and older can begin scheduling appointments for Thursday and later starting on Wednesday.

Please note, youth 16 and 17 can only receive the Pfizer vaccine and need to sign up at a site that offers this vaccine.

Providers vaccinating residents in hard-hit communities have had the flexibility to vaccinate family members of eligible residents for the past couple of weeks and will continue with these efforts.

This week, 323,470 total doses were allocated to L.A. County. Of this allocation, 139,870 doses are available for first doses and 183,600 are needed for second doses.

The county’s allocation for this week is almost 80,000 doses fewer than last week’s allocation in large part because the county received far fewer doses from Johnson & Johnson this week. Last week, the county received 118,000 Johnson & Johnson doses, and this week, only 19,600 Johnson & Johnson doses.

The lack of supply continues to slow the pace of which we can provide vaccinations. Currently, the county has the ability to administer 734,000 vaccine doses this week, which is more than double the number of vaccines received this week.

In total, of the 709 vaccination sites across the county this week, which is the most vaccination sites the county has had to date, 266 sites are in the hardest-hit communities. These are communities with high case rates and low vaccination rates. Mobile vaccine teams will continue administering vaccines this week, with a priority of vaccinating residents 65 and older, including residents in hard-hit communities that are homebound or have limited mobility.

There are 95 mobile vaccination teams scheduled to administer vaccinations this week at senior housing sites, senior centers, faith-based organizations, and community-based organizations. These mobile sites are critical to our effort to vaccinate hard-hit communities with either lower vaccination rates or lack of access.

In the coming weeks, an additional 237 mobile vaccination sites are scheduled throughout our county.

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 these 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 Six Flags Magic Mountain supersite will close after April 18, and be replaced the following day by supersites at College of the Canyons in Valencia and Palmdale Oasis Park Recreation Center in the Antelope Valley. Read more about that here.

For more information about who is eligible for COVID-19 vaccine in L.A. County, how to make an appointment if it is your turn, what verifications you will need to show at your vaccination appointment, and much more, visit www.VaccinateLACounty.com (English) and www.VacunateLosAngeles.com (Spanish).

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.

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.

The California Department of Public Health modified Blueprint thresholds on March 12 after the state successfully met its first vaccine equity milestone of 2 million administered vaccine doses in some of the state’s hardest-hit communities.

Blueprint tiers are updated weekly on Tuesdays. The Blueprint summary as of April 6:

* 2 counties are currently in the Purple (widespread) Tier

* 22 counties are currently in the Red (substantial) Tier

* 32 counties are currently in the Orange (moderate) Tier (including Los Angeles County)

* 2 counties are in the Yellow (minimal) Tier

As of April 1, the state’s reopening framework allowed outdoor ballparks, stadiums, and theme parks to open with significantly reduced capacity, mandatory masking, and other public health precautions.

Find the status of activities in specific counties.

Increased Transparency and Updated School Reopening Maps

The school reopening maps on the Safe Schools Hub have been updated with self-reported data from school districts, charter schools, and private schools throughout the state. Schools are required to submit this data on the second and fourth Monday of each month.

This is the first update with data pursuant to AB 86 and includes:

School-Level Data: Reopening status can be searched for and viewed not only on a district-wide basis, but also a school-by-school basis.

Enrollment Data: The maps display data not only on the instructional modes offered, but also on the number of students enrolled in different instructional modes: full-time in-person, hybrid, and distance learning.

Note: The self-reported data may include some gaps in data and errors. The maps will be routinely updated to reflect new data, and the state will continue to improve data quality and visualizations.

Vaccinate All 58 Eligibility Update

With the supply of vaccines expected to significantly increase in the coming weeks, the state is expanding vaccine eligibility to more Californians.

As of April 1, people aged 50+ statewide are eligible to make an appointment to be vaccinated, and individuals 16+ will be eligible to make an appointment starting April 15.

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 Vaccinate All 58.

Tracking Variants

Multiple variants of the virus that causes COVID-19 have been identified globally during the COVID-19 pandemic.

These genetic mutations are expected, and some emerge and then disappear, while others persist or become common. Most variants do not have a meaningful impact.

Public health becomes concerned about a variant when it affects COVID-19 transmission, severity, testing, treatment, or vaccine effectiveness.

Get more information here on the variants CDPH is currently monitoring.

‘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 Updated

California Public Health California updated its travel advisory on April 2, removing the previous recommendation that Californians not travel more than 120 miles from ones’ place of residence.

Postponing travel and staying home is the best way to protect yourself and others from COVID-19, and Californians should continue to avoid non-essential travel outside of the state.

Non-essential travelers from other states or countries are strongly discouraged from entering California and should follow CDC travel guidance related to testing and self-quarantine.

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 March 28 to April 3, the average time patients waited for test results was just under one day. During this same time period, 84% of patients received test results in one day and 98% 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.

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 April 6, 448 cases of MIS-C have been reported statewide, five more than last week. To protect patient confidentiality in counties with fewer than 11 cases, CDPH officials 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 limited 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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