header image

[Sign Up Now] to Receive Our FREE Daily SCVTV-SCVNews Digest by E-Mail

Inside
Weather
Calendar


Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital reported three additional deaths from COVID-19 over the weekend, bringing the total number to 221 since the onset of the pandemic, spokesman Patrick Moody confirmed.

The hospital currently has zero tests pending, 26 patients in the hospital, and a total of 2,134 patients who have been treated and discharged since the pandemic began.

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.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed Monday 26 additional deaths (29,928 total) and 2,457 new cases (2,764,073 total) of COVID-19 countywide, with 229 new cases (71,045 total) in the Santa Clarita Valley.

Monday’s number of cases and deaths reflect the weekend reporting delays. Of the 26 new deaths reported Monday, three people were between the ages of 30-49, two were between the ages of 50-64, 11 were between the ages of 65-79, and 10 were aged 80 years or older. Of the 26 newly reported deaths, 21 had underlying health conditions. To date, the total number of deaths in L.A. County is 29,928.

Public Health has reported a total of 2,764,073 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County. Monday’s positivity rate is 3%.

There are 2,054 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized. Testing results are available for more than 11,288,200 individuals, with 22% of people testing positive.

Gaps in Vaccination Coverage

While COVID-19 has spread across the entire county, some cities and communities have experienced higher case rates than others. From the onset of the pandemic, communities of color, under-resourced communities, and communities with large numbers of essential workers have been most impacted by COVID-19. Among the cities and communities with the highest case rates: the areas of Central, South, and Southeast L.A.; proportions of the San Fernando, Santa Clarita and Antelope valleys.

While the county continues to address geographic areas with high case rates, health outcome metrics reveal that vaccination status continues to play a critical role in determining the risk of transmission and critical illness.

For the week ending Jan. 29, county residents who were unvaccinated were two times more likely to be infected as compared to individuals who were fully vaccinated. When comparing unvaccinated individuals with those vaccinated and fully boosted, unvaccinated people were nearly four times more likely to be infected.

As of Jan. 29, unvaccinated people were more than five times likelier to be hospitalized compared to fully vaccinated residents. Fully vaccinated and boosted individuals were more than 18 times less likely to end up hospitalized as compared to unvaccinated people. And, the likelihood of ending up in the ICU was also significantly higher for unvaccinated residents. As compared to residents who were fully vaccinated, unvaccinated residents were seven times more likely to end up in the ICU, and more than 31 times more likely as compared to people who were fully vaccinated and boosted.

To help close the gaps in vaccination coverage, Public Health continues to deploy resources to help coordinate and mobilize community health workers, also called promotoras, to conduct healing-informed grassroots community outreach.

According to a study by the Ad Council that looked at the trusted messengers that consumers turn to for social and societal issues, new information–when presented by a trusted messenger–was most likely to influence a respondent’s change in views and behavior.

Through the Community Health Worker Outreach Initiative, promotoras provide accurate and up-to-date information regarding COVID-19 and connect residents with needed critical services, including health insurance, testing, mental health services, food pantries and housing assistance. They also share current public health directives, inform residents about safety requirements at sectors that are open, and requirements for worker safety.

As of Feb. 6, the Community Health Worker Outreach Initiative has completed more than 450,000 outreach activities, including support for 2,500 in-person vaccination events and over 14,000 virtual COVID-19 educational sessions. Combined, these efforts have reached more than three million residents to date. Additionally, Public Health is also hosting more than 800 mobile vaccine clinics this week, many of which are located across many of the under-resourced communities impacted the most by this latest surge.

“Our hearts go out to everyone mourning the loss of a loved one due to COVID-19,” said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “I am grateful to everyone for all you are doing to take care of each other. We are once again at a pivotal point in our recovery journey where we don’t have the luxury of ignoring our individual and collective responsibilities. Given where we are, and the continued risk in under-resourced communities, we need to use sensible safety protections that help us drive down transmission of this dangerous virus. Improving vaccination rates remains a priority since vaccines provide both significant protection for the vaccinated person and for the community around them. We are grateful to all the health educators and promotoras for sharing their stories and serving as trusted sources of information about COVID and the vaccines. ”

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.

Student Dashboard

Students

Staff Dashboard

Staff

Santa Clarita Valley Monday Update
As of 5:30 p.m. Monday, the L.A. County Public Health dashboard reported seven additional deaths from COVID-19 in the city of Santa Clarita, bringing the total number of COVID-19 deaths to date in the SCV to 422.

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

Santa Clarita: 346

Castaic: 27

Acton: 15

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 71,045 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

Santa Clarita: 52,804

Castaic: 7,005

Stevenson Ranch: 3,916

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 2,527

Acton: 1,483

Val Verde: 816

Agua Dulce: 769

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 659

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 303

Elizabeth Lake: 200

Bouquet Canyon: 147

Lake Hughes: 144

Saugus/Canyon Country: 89

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 87

Sand Canyon: 47

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 Monday

CA COVID

California School Mask Guidance

California’s approach to keeping schools safe has resulted in only 1% of the nation’s school closures despite educating the most K-12 public school students (12%) in the country. For the time being and because of the unique nature of school settings, California will continue to require universal masking in schools

On February 28, the State will reassess data and conditions (e.g., case rate, test positivity, hospitalizations, pediatric hospitalizations and vaccine rates) for a potential future change to the statewide school masking requirement.

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

– 70,728,315 total vaccines administered.

– 82.6% of the eligible population (5+) has been vaccinated with at least one dose.

– 67,688 people a day are receiving COVID-19 vaccination (average daily dose count over 7 days).

Cases

– California has 8,244,329 confirmed cases to date.

– Monday’s average case count is 23,715 (average daily case count over 7 days).

· Unvaccinated people are 5.9 times more likely to get COVID-19 than boosted individuals (Jan. 17, 2022 – Jan.23, 2022).

Testing

– The testing positivity rate is 6.2% (average rate over 7 days).

Hospitalizations

– here are 8,189 hospitalizations statewide.

– There are 1,629 ICU patients statewide.

– Unvaccinated people are 11.4 times more likely to be hospitalized than boosted individuals (Jan. 17, 2022 – Jan. 23, 2022).

Deaths

– There have been 82,026 COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

– COVID-19 claims the lives of 163 Californians each day (average daily death count over 7 days).

– Unvaccinated people are 21.8 times more likely to die than boosted individuals (Jan. 10, 2022 – Jan. 16, 2022).

Health Care Workers

Note: There has been no update of positive cases among health care workers since Jan. 6. As of Jan. 6, local health departments have reported 136,816 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 540 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 Jan. 30 to Feb. 5, the average time patients waited for test results was 0.9 days. During this same time period, 85% of patients received test results in one day and 96% received them within two days.

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)

As of Feb. 7, there have been 809 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.

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.

Comment On This Story

0 Comments

You can be the first one to leave a comment.

Leave a Comment


Related Content
Latest Stories on SCVNews.com
The entertainment and media news magazine TheWrap released its annual ranking of the top United States film schools, with the California Institue of the Arts School of Film/Video nabbing the #7 ranking for the 2024-25 cycle.
CalArts Ranks #7 in TheWrap’s Best Film Schools of 2024
Tonight is Halloween, and I can already feel the hullabaloo as children prepare to put on their costumes and head out for a fun evening of trick-or-treating.
Marsha McLean | Have a Spook-taculary Safe Halloween
The Peace Officers Association of Los Angeles County honored Los Angeles County Fifth District Supervisor Kathryn Barger by presenting her with the President's Award on Wednesday, Oct. 30.
Barger Bestowed President’s Award by Peace Officers Association
College of the Canyons freshman Sahya Kitabatake was awarded Western State Conference Player of the Year honors as the Cougars Women's golf team played out its regular season schedule at the two-day conference championships held Oct. 27-28 at Marshall Canyon Golf Course in La Verne, Calif.
Kitabatake Crowned WSC Player of the Year, Canyons Advances
Dr. Dianne Van Hook, who served as Chancellor of College of the Canyons for more than 36 years, has filed wrongful termination and Department of Fair Employment and Housing claims against the Santa Clarita Community College District and its Board of Trustees.
Van Hook Files Wrongful Termination Claims
The American Cancer Society Relay For Life of Santa Clarita Valley invites all to join its holiday “YUM-raising” event with See’s irresistible candies.
American Cancer Society See’s Candies Fundraiser
1923 - Newhall Chamber of Commerce petitions state to pave Spruce Street (now Main); it happens three years later [story]
Spruce Street
Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk Dean C. Logan and Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna hosted a press conference at the Los Angeles County Ballot Processing Center on Tuesday, Oct. 29, regarding safeguarding the election in Los Angeles County.
‘Safeguarding the Election’ Event Held at County Ballot Processing Center
College of the Canyons has established women's cross country program history with the team claiming its first Western State Conference Championship after a triumphant run on the course at Oxnard College.
COC Women’s Cross Country Wins First Conference Title
Woodside Homes is building its first community in  northern Los Angeles, with the announcement of Wayfare Station in Santa Clarita.
Woodside Homes to Build Townhome Community in Santa Clarita
Los Angeles County filed a lawsuit today against PepsiCo and Coca-Cola for their significant role in plastic pollution's negative impacts on the environment and public health.
L.A. County Sues Pepsi, Coke on Plastic Beverage Pollution
Tickets for the 2024 Santa Clarita Valley 40 Under Forty are now open for the Nov. 23 event. 
Nov.23: Tickets Now Available for Santa Clarita 40 Under Forty
California residents and business owners affected by the Bridge Fire may apply for low-interest federal disaster loans.
Federal Disaster Assistance for Bridge Fire Victims
As the future of the Hollywood film industry remains uncertain, filled with both challenges and opportunities, the viability of a movie theater has also come into focus as streaming and shorter release windows have raised concerns about its survival.
‘Movie Theatres Aren’t Going Away Anytime Soon,’ CSUN Prof says
In recognition of its outstanding achievements in public relations, SCV Water received seven prestigious awards from the Public Relations Society of America’s Los Angeles chapter.
SCV Water Wins Seven PRSA L.A. Awards
MOOYAH Burgers, Fries and Shakes is thrilled to announce the results of its nationwide Best Burger of the United States (BOTUS) competition.
MOOYAH Burgers Announces Results of it’s Nationwide Best Burger of the United States Competition.
CSUN’s Jewish Studies Program is hosting a series of workshops on peacebuilding as a way to strengthen community and fight antisemitism.
CSUN’s Jewish Studies Department to Host Series on Peacebuilding
1984 - NTSB revises probable cause of 1982 "Twilight Zone" deaths after director John Landis appeals [story]
John Landis
Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger lauded the Board of Supervisors’ approval on Tuesday, Oct. 29, of her motion and an appeal by Cali Lake RV Park’s owner that will allow the 175 people living onsite to remain housed there, indefinitely.
County Grants Cali Lake RV Park Appeal, Residents Can Remain Indefinitely
The United States Justice Department’s Antitrust Division and Department of Transportation have jointly announced a broad public inquiry into the state of competition in air travel.
Justice Department, DOT Launch Public Inquiry into Competition in Air Travel
The Saugus Union School District Governing Board of Trustees will hold a joint meeting with the Asset Management Advisory Committee on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 6:30 p.m., in the multipurpose room of Bridgeport Elementary School.
Oct. 30: SUSD Hosts Joint Board, Asset Management Advisory Committee Meeting
Barger, Horvath introduce motion upporting governor’s expansion of tax credit program for the California entertainment sector.
Barger, Horvath Support Entertainment Sector Tax Credit Expansion
The Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency will host an official ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Santa Clara and Honby Wells PFAS Groundwater Treatment Facility on Tuesday, Nov. 19, at 9 a.m. at 27100 Furnivall Ave., Santa Clarita, CA 91351. Members of the public are invited.
Nov. 19: SCV Water to Host Ribbon-Cutting at PFAS Treatment Facility
Yes I Can Unity Through Music & Education, a nonprofit organization that provides career-skills training and employment services to individuals with disabilities, has announced a new partnership with Road Roaster Coffee Company.
‘Good Karma Coffee’ Benefits Yes I Can Unity Through Music & Education
SCVNews.com