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April 25
1906 - Bercaw General Store opens in Surrey (Saugus) [story]
Bercaw Store


The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed Monday seven new deaths, 742 new positive cases countywide, with 56 new cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.

This new data brings Los Angeles County death totals to 31,807, county case totals to 2,846,303 and Santa Clarita Valley case totals to 72,583 since March of 2020. There are 265 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized.

Over the weekend, Public Health reported:

New Cases:

908 – Sunday, April 10

1,225 – Saturday, April 9

New deaths due to COVID-19

10 – Sunday, April 10

21 – Saturday, April 9

More than 11,758,000 individuals tested; 22% of people tested positive to date.

LA County COVID

Cases, Rates Increasing However L.A. County Hospitalizations Remain Stable

The number of new cases and test positivity rates increased again this past week. The average number of daily new cases reported the last seven days increased to 960, a 23% increase from the average of 783 daily new cases the previous seven days. This past week, reported cases in L.A. county increased an average of 3.2% per day.

And while Mondays test positivity at 1.0% remains very low, it has been inching up these past couple of weeks.

COVID-19 hospitalization numbers remain stable with 265 patients currently hospitalized and deaths remain low, reflecting the relatively stable hospitalization numbers. Sadly, other communities in the country, including New York City, have started to see small increases in hospitalizations a few weeks after their recent rise in case numbers, reflecting past patterns where, within a couple of weeks of increasing case numbers, hospitalizations start to rise, followed, tragically, by increases in deaths.

With increased transmission across the County, being up to date on vaccines and boosters offers protection against severe illness and death. For the week ending March 25, unvaccinated people were five times more likely to be hospitalized compared to fully vaccinated residents. And the likelihood of dying for those unvaccinated was also higher. For the week ending March 18, unvaccinated residents were eight times more likely to die than residents who were fully vaccinated.

“I send my deepest sympathies and wishes of peace and comfort to the many families who have lost a loved one due to COVID-19,” said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “The evidence is becoming clearer that given the current approved vaccines and the reality of a mutating virus, some of us will need to boost our immune systems a couple of times during the year in order to be optimally protected. This includes those infected with Omicron over the winter, since natural immunity against SARS-CoV-2 also wanes over time. As we celebrate the spring holidays, let’s do our very best to make use of the powerful tools at hand, vaccinations, boosters, testing, and masking, to keep ourselves and those most vulnerable to severe illness, as safe as possible.”

A wide range of data and dashboards on COVID-19 from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health are available on the Public Health website at http://www.publichealth.lacounty.gov.

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

Student

Staff Dashboard

Staff

Santa Clarita Valley Monday Update
As of 4:30 p.m. Monday, the L.A. County Public Health dashboard remained the same as Friday, with 464 total deaths from COVID-19 in the Santa Clarita Valley.

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

Santa Clarita: 379

Castaic: 28

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: 0 (**revised from 1)

 

SCV Cases

Of the 72,583 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

Santa Clarita: 53,931

Castaic: 7,123

Stevenson Ranch: 4,044

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 2,593

Acton: 1,517

Val Verde: 837

Agua Dulce: 779

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 673

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 311

Elizabeth Lake: 205

Bouquet Canyon: 149

Lake Hughes: 147

Saugus/Canyon Country: 90

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 87

Sand Canyon: 48

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

California Department of Public Health now updates their numbers on Tuesday and Friday. The following is from the most recent update Friday, April 8:

 

CA COVID

Statewide COVID-19 Data

Vaccinations

– 73,272,145 total vaccines administered.

– 83.8% of the eligible population (5+) has been vaccinated with at least one dose.

– 59,552 people a day are receiving COVID-19 vaccination (average daily dose count over 7 days).

Cases

– California has 8,513,771 confirmed cases to date.

– Friday’s average case count is 2,082 (average daily case count over 7 days).

– Unvaccinated people are 3.6 times more likely to get COVID-19 than boosted individuals (March 14, 2022 – March 20, 2022).

Testing

– The testing positivity rate is 1.7% (average rate over 7 days).

Hospitalizations

– There are 1,098 hospitalizations statewide.

– here are 190 ICU patients statewide.

– Unvaccinated people are 6.5 times more likely to be hospitalized than boosted individuals (March 14, 2022 – March 20, 2022).

Deaths

– There have been 88,557 COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

– COVID-19 claims the lives of 32 Californians each day (average daily death count over 7 days).

– Unvaccinated people are 13.7 times more likely to die than boosted individuals (March 7, 2022 – March 13, 2022).

Health Care Workers

As of April 7, local health departments have reported 154,509 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 577 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 March 27 to April 2, the average time patients waited for test results was 0.7 day. During this same time period, 92% of patients received test results in one day and 98% received them within two days.

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)

As of April 4, there have been 922 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.

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