The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed 5,152 new positive cases Saturday, 4,750 new cases Sunday, and 2,476 new cases Monday countywide, with four additional deaths and 790 new cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.

This new data brings Los Angeles County death totals to 32,086, county case totals to 2,942,149 and Santa Clarita Valley case totals to 76,105 since March of 2020. SCV deaths from COVID-19 total 474. There are 267 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized countywide.

There are 391 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized. Testing results are available for more than 11,974,373 individuals, with 22% of people testing positive.

The number of cases and deaths are likely to reflect reporting delays over the weekend. Of the 14 new deaths reported Monday, four were between the ages of 50-64, six were between the ages of 65-79, and four were aged 80 years or older. Of the 14 newly reported deaths, all had underlying health conditions.

Monday’s positivity rate is 3.0%.

Getting Boosted Should be Priority for Residents as Transmission and Outbreaks Increase

With increases across multiple COVID metrics, including cases, hospitalizations, outbreaks in high-risk settings, and the test positivity rate, layering in more protections is needed to reduce the risk of transmission and severe illness. Evidence continues to show that those fully vaccinated and recently boosted have increased protection that is important during times of high transmission.

Over the past seven days, there were 22 new outbreaks at skilled nursing facilities, which elevated the level of concern at these facilities to high. Nursing facilities are now required to implement additional safety measures including: universal masking of all staff, visitors, and residents; N95 respirators for all staff at all times in a facility; twice weekly screening testing of staff, and weekly testing of residents; testing of all visitors; and, pausing communal dining and non-essential group activities. Efforts continue to ensure that staff and residents are up-to-date on their vaccinations.

There are also increases in outbreaks among people experiencing homelessness, with 13 new outbreaks reported for the week ending May 22. The rise in outbreaks among people experiencing homelessness has led to increased testing and referrals to quarantine and isolation sites. Mobile teams are focused on ensuring easy access to vaccinations and boosters for those that are not housed.

Omicron, which is known to be 20-30% more easily transmitted than previous strains, accounted for 100% of all positive cases for sequenced specimens collected in the week ending April 30. While the BA.2 Omicron variant remains the predominant variant in L.A. County, BA.2.12.1, is becoming more common in L.A. County, which is of concern since it is more transmissible that BA.2. The BA.2.12.1 sub-lineage accounted for 27% of positive sequenced specimens for the period ending April 30, compared to 3% about one month before. This rate of increase is similar to what is seen nationally, where for the week ending May 14, BA.2.12.1 accounted for 48% of positive sequences specimens vs. 19% about one month before. For the week ending April 30, the BA.2.3 and its sub-lineages accounted for 12% of positive sequenced specimens.

With these highly infectious subvariants and sub-lineages in circulation, cases continue to increase in L.A. County. The average number of daily new cases reported over the last seven days increased to 3,843 compared to the 1,436 reported one month ago, an increase of 168%.

The seven-day average test positivity rate also increased when compared to one month ago. The rate today is 3%, double from what it was one month ago on April 23 when the seven-day average test positivity rate was 1.5%.

The higher case numbers have translated to an increased number of people getting severely ill and needing to be hospitalized. Over the last seven days, the average number of COVID-positive patients per day in L.A. County hospitals was 378, an increase of 72% from one month ago when the average number of COVID-positive patients per day was 220.

Deaths, which typically lag hospitalizations by several weeks, remain stable at an average of seven deaths reported per day this past week.

Vaccines continue to provide the best defense against COVID and there is ample evidence supporting the need for all vaccinated individuals to get a booster dose 5 months after completing their initial series to maintain maximum protection. Currently, there are about 2.9 million booster-dose eligible residents age 12 and older not benefiting from the extra protection of a booster dose. Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approved booster doses for children ages 5-11. With cases increasing by 264% this past month among children ages 5-11 (a higher rate of increase than the corresponding 116% increase among young adults ages 18-49), the 130,000 children ages 5-11 immediately eligible for the booster are encouraged to take advantage of the additional protection offered by the 3rd dose of the pediatric Pfizer vaccine.

There are more than 2,000 sites in L.A. County where residents can get boosters, including pharmacies, Public Health pods, mobile and school vaccination clinics, and more. Residents can find vaccination sites near their home or work by visiting VaccinateLACounty.com or by calling the Public Health Call Center at (833) 540-0473 (open 7 days a week, 8 a.m. – 8:30 p.m).

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 Monday Update
As of 4 p.m. Monday, the L.A. County Public Health dashboard reported an additional death from COVID-19 in the city of Santa Clarita and three additional deaths in Castaic, bringing the total number of deaths in the SCV to 474.

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

Santa Clarita: 385

Castaic: 31

Acton: 17

Stevenson Ranch: 15

Unincorporated Canyon Country: 9 (revised from 10)

Agua Dulce: 6

Val Verde: 3 (revised from 4)

Valencia: 2

Unincorporated Bouquet Canyon: 2

Elizabeth Lake: 1

Newhall: 1

unincorporated Saugus/Canyon Country: 1

Lake Hughes: 1

SCV Cases

Of the 76,105 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

Santa Clarita: 56,202

Castaic: 7,775

Stevenson Ranch: 4,351

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 2,709

Acton: 1,552

Val Verde: 876

Agua Dulce: 797

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 718

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 332

Elizabeth Lake: 212

Bouquet Canyon: 151

Lake Hughes: 151

Saugus/Canyon Country: 92

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 87

Sand Canyon: 49

San Francisquito/Bouquet Canyon: 36

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 Monday

The California Department of Public Health now updates their numbers on Tuesday and Friday. The information below is from the most recent data released Friday, May 20.

Vaccinations

– 75,709,724 total vaccines administered.

– 84.1% of the eligible population (5+) has been vaccinated with at least one dose.

– 49,300 people a day are receiving COVID-19 vaccination (average daily dose count over 7 days).

Cases

– California has 8,797,890 confirmed cases to date.

– Friday’s average case count is 9,328 (average daily case count over 7 days).

– Unvaccinated people are 4.9 times more likely to get COVID-19 than boosted individuals (April 25, 2022 – May 1, 2022).

Testing

– The testing positivity rate is 6% (average rate over 7 days).

Hospitalizations

– There are 1,708 hospitalizations statewide.

– There are 208 ICU patients statewide.

– Unvaccinated people are 7.4 times more likely to be hospitalized than boosted individuals (April 25, 2022 – May 1, 2022).

Deaths

– There have been 90,382 COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

– COVID-19 claims the lives of 9 Californians each day (average daily death count over 7 days).

– Unvaccinated people are 9.1 times more likely to die than boosted individuals (April 18, 2022 – April 24, 2022).

Health Care Workers

As of May 19, local health departments have reported 159,306 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 579 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 May 8 to May 14, the average time patients waited for test results was 0.8 day. During this same time period, 90% of patients received test results in one day and 98% received them within two days.

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)

As of May 19, 2022, there have been 980 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.