The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed Monday 10 new deaths and 794 new cases of COVID-19 countywide, with 39,063 total cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.

Note: The number of cases and deaths reflect reporting delays over the weekend.

Of the 10 new deaths reported Monday, four people who passed away were over the age of 80, one person who died was between the ages of 65 and 79, three people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64, and two people who died were between the ages of 30 and 49. To date, Public Health has identified 1,526,272 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 27,138 deaths.

There are 568 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized. Testing results are available for more than 9,413,000 individuals, with 15% of people testing positive.

Monday’s test positivity rate is 2.45%, an increase from last week’s same-day rate of 1.0%. The increased test positivity rate likely reflects a significantly reduced volume of testing associated with schools being closed.

County Prepares for Threat of New Variant

As the County prepares to deal with the possible threat of Omicron, a new variant of concern, the most important strategy remains making sure that everyone 5 years and older gets fully vaccinated or receives their booster dose as quickly as possible to reduce transmission of COVID-19. Given that there continues to be substantial transmission of COVID-19 and the uncertainty about the level of vaccine efficacy against this new variant of concern, all residents and workers need to be sure to adhere to vaccination verification and masking requirements and wear a mask when indoors or at large outdoor mega events regardless of vaccination status.

Cases Among Skilled Nursing Facilities

Public Health reports that cases among staff and residents living in skilled nursing facilities have decreased significantly between Oct. 22 and Nov. 14. This coincides with 98% of skilled nursing facilities in L.A. County administering booster doses to eligible residents and staff over this same period.

During the week of Oct. 22, 92 new cases were reported among staff and residents at skilled nursing facilities. For the week ending Nov. 14, 34 people tested positive for COVID-19 at skilled nursing facilities: 13 new cases were among skilled nursing facility residents, and 21 new cases were among skilled nursing facility staff. This is a 63% drop in new cases during a time when cases across the county declined by only 6%.

Boosters for Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, the brands administered to the majority of skilled nursing facility residents, became available on Oct. 22, 2021. Out of the 341 skilled nursing facilities in L.A. County, 336 completed their rollout of booster vaccines. Public Health is working with the remaining skilled nursing facilities to offer County mobile vaccine team assistance to ensure all eligible residents are offered their booster dose this upcoming week.

In addition to the quick administration of boosters to residents, all skilled nursing facilities staff are required to be fully vaccinated as of September 30, 2021 according to the state health officer order; all eligible staff were offered boosters as well.

Skilled nursing facilities report that 96% of staff and 90% of residents are fully vaccinated.

**More from Los Angeles County Public Health further below**

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

Staff Dashboard

Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital

On Monday, Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital had zero tests pending, 15 patients in the hospital, and a total of 1,656 patients who have been treated and discharged since the pandemic began, and no additional deceased, spokesman Patrick Moody confirmed.

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.

Santa Clarita Valley Monday Update
As of 4:30 p.m. Monday, the L.A. County Public Health dashboard recorded two additional deaths in the city of Santa Clarita, and one additional death in Acton, bringing the total number of deaths in the SCV from COVID-19 since the onset of the pandemic to 361.

The following is the community breakdown of the 361 SCV residents who have died, according to the L.A. County dashboard:

300 in Santa Clarita

21 in Castaic

12 in Acton

9 in Stevenson Ranch

6 in unincorporated Canyon Country

4 in Agua Dulce

3 in Val Verde

2 in Valencia

1 in unincorporated Bouquet Canyon

1 in Elizabeth Lake

1 in Newhall

1 in unincorporated Saugus/Canyon Country

0 in Lake Hughes (**revised from 1)

SCV Cases

Of the 39,063 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 28,677

* Castaic: 4,625

Stevenson Ranch: 1,876

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 1,228

Acton: 823

Val Verde: 451

Agua Dulce: 433

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 314

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 179

Elizabeth Lake: 126

Bouquet Canyon: 78

Lake Hughes: 77

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 70

Saugus/Canyon Country: 55

Sand Canyon: 24

San Francisquito/Bouquet Canyon: 22

Placerita Canyon: 5

*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

“To everyone who has lost a friend or loved one to COVID-19, we send you our deepest condolences,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “Over the course of our month long drive to roll out boosters in skilled nursing facilities, cases and hospitalizations dropped among the residents of these facilities far more dramatically than they did among the population at large. Clearly boosters, along with very high vaccination coverage with two doses among staff and residents, make a difference by enhancing protection. We encourage all adults 18 and over eligible for booster doses to go ahead and get that booster dose as an important way to protect from getting infected and spreading the virus; since transmission remains substantial across the county, this additional boost makes a difference.”

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, to make an appointment at vaccination sites, and much more, Visit: www.VaccinateLACounty.com (English) and www.VacunateLosAngeles.com (Spanish) If you don’t have internet access, can’t use a computer, or you’re over 65, you can call 1-833-540-0473 for help finding an appointment or scheduling a home-visit if you are homebound. Vaccinations are always free and open to eligible residents and workers regardless of immigration status.

County Reopening Protocols, COVID-19 Vaccine Dashboard, COVID-19 Surveillance Interactive Dashboard, Roadmap to Recovery, Recovery Dashboard, and additional actions you can take to protect yourself, your family and your community are on the Public Health website, www.publichealth.lacounty.gov.

California Monday

The California Department of Public Health released the most recent statistics on COVID-19 Monday and updates on the state’s pandemic response. The most up-to-date data is available on the state’s COVID-19 data dashboard.

Statewide COVID-19 Data

Cases

Cases, hospitalizations and deaths are largely occurring among unvaccinated populations. See the data for unvaccinated and vaccinated cases, hospitalizations and deaths.

– Unvaccinated people were 7.2 times more likely to get COVID-19 (data from Nov. 7, 2021 to Nov. 13, 2021).

– Unvaccinated people were 13.1 times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 (data from Oct. 31, 2021 to Nov. 6, 2021).

– Unvaccinated people were 15.8 times more likely to die from COVID-19 (data from Oct. 24, 2021 to Oct. 30, 2021).

Vaccinations

– 58,136,893 total vaccines administered.

– 76.1% of the eligible population (5+) has been vaccinated with at least one dose.

– 143,857 people a day are receiving COVID-19 vaccination (average daily dose count over 7 days).

Cases

– California has 4,801,843 confirmed cases to date.

– Today’s average case count is 4,162 (average daily case count over 7 days).

Testing

– The testing positivity rate is 3.0% (average rate over 7 days).

Hospitalizations

– There are 3,540 hospitalizations statewide.

– There are 914 ICU patients statewide.

Deaths

– There have been 73,656 COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

– COVID-19 claims the lives of 52 Californians each day (average daily death count over 7 days).

Additional Updates

Omicron Variant

CDPH issued a statement on the Omicron variant on November 28, 2021. For more information about the variant, see the Omicron variant fact sheet.

Testing Turnaround Time

The testing turnaround time dashboard reports how long California patients are waiting for COVID-19 test results. During the week of Nov. 11 to Nov. 20, the average time patients waited for test results was 1.0 day. During this same time period, 84% of patients received test results in one day and 96% received them within two days.

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)

As of Nov. 22, there have been 718 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.