The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed Thursday 88 new deaths and 933 new cases of COVID-19, with 26,918 total cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.

To date, Public Health identified 1,212,586 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 22,664 deaths.

There are 861 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 26% of these people are in the ICU. Testing results are available for more than 5,984,000 individuals with 19% of people testing positive. Thursday’s daily test positivity rate is 1.8%.

Cases among people experiencing homelessness have dropped from the peak of 620 weekly cases during late-December, to 58 new cases reported this week. The number of new cases reported this week includes 48 cases from previous weeks that were newly identified and were included in the new case totals. To date, Public Health has identified 7,061 cases among people experiencing homelessness, and 194 people who were experiencing homelessness have passed away from COVID-19. Of the people experiencing homelessness who passed away, 90 were sheltered, 65 were unsheltered, and for 39 people who passed away, their sheltered status was unknown. The County continues working with partner organizations to reduce virus transmission and protect people experiencing homelessness from COVID-19 infection.

Of the 88 new deaths reported Thursday, 25 people that passed away were over the age of 80, 30 people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79, 27 people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64, and five people who died were between the ages of 30 and 49. One death was reported by the city of Pasadena.

California Thursday Snapshot

Statewide, the California Department of Public Health confirmed Thursday a total of 3,535,534, with 55,795 deaths from the disease. There are 3,002 confirmed hospitalizations and 778 ICU hospitalizations in California.

Numbers may not represent true day-over-day change as reporting of test results can be delayed.

There were 3,038 newly recorded confirmed cases Wednesday.

The 7-day positivity rate is 2.0%.

There have been 51,601,716 tests conducted in California. This represents an increase of 109,227 during the prior 24-hour reporting period.

As of March 18, providers have reported administering a total of 13,382,046 vaccine doses statewide. The CDC reports that 17,213,150 doses have been delivered to entities within the state. Numbers do not represent true day-to-day change as reporting may be delayed. For more vaccination data, visit the COVID-19 Vaccine Data Dashboard.

Health Care Worker Infection Rates
As of March 17, local health departments have reported 99,959 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 430 deaths statewide.

Santa Clarita Valley Thursday Update
As of 4:30 p.m. Thursday, the L.A. County Public Health dashboard remains unchanged from Wednesday, recording 279 deaths among Santa Clarita Valley residents since the pandemic began.

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

238 lived in Santa Clarita

17 in Castaic

7 in Acton

4 in Stevenson Ranch

3 in Agua Dulce

3 in unincorporated Canyon Country

2 in Valencia

1 in unincorporated Bouquet Canyon

1 in Lake Hughes

1 in Newhall

1 in unincorporated Saugus/Canyon Country

1 in Val Verde

Of the 26,918 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 19,696

Castaic: 3,657

(includes Pitchess Detention Center and North County Correctional Facility*)

Stevenson Ranch: 1,096

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 812

Acton: 455

Val Verde: 325

Agua Dulce: 260

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 185

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 132

Elizabeth Lake: 75

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 66

Bouquet Canyon: 46

Lake Hughes: 41

Saugus/Canyon Country: 39

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.

Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital Thursday Update
As of Thursday, there are zero cases are pending, six patients are hospitalized in a dedicated COVID-19 unit receiving ICU-level care, and a total of 1,171 patients have been treated and discharged, hospital spokesman Patrick Moody said.

There were zero additional deaths Thursday. However the hospital reported Monday its 146th death due to COVID-19.

Henry Mayo releases complete statistics weekly, usually on Wednesdays, unless one or more new deaths occur.

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.

L.A. County

“I send my sincere condolences to the many people across our County grieving a family member or friend who has passed away from COVID-19,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “The success of the County’s recovery and the safety of at-risk residents and workers, depends on businesses and residents closely following the rules. If our COVID-19 transmission decreases, lives are saved, and we will be allowed to continue to open more businesses and ease activity specific restrictions in the future. We all experienced what happens when public health safety measures are not followed closely. We have to avoid increases that can easily lead to more people suffering and take us backwards on our recovery journey. As more people are vaccinated, universal cooperation with safety measures is what will keep us moving forward with our recovery journey.”

Public Health inspectors visit businesses every day to ensure compliance with the Los Angeles County Health Officer Order, provide education, identify violations, and may issue citations for businesses out of compliance, and, unfortunately, an order to close to those who refuse to or are unable to take the steps required to protect their workforce and community. During recent business compliance checks, inspectors noted restaurants with unapproved structures, tables less than eight feet apart, staff without face shields, and retail stores not monitoring occupancy. In order to remain open, all businesses are required to adhere fully with their sector specific protocols. From March 1 through March 14, a total of 112 citations were issued to businesses including restaurants, family entertainment establishments, gyms, and personal care salons for noncompliance with Health Officer Orders. Since the end of August, a total of 1,219 citations have been issued.

Businesses must implement and follow all safety protocols closely and ensure adherence with all Health Officer Order directives including, occupancy limits, masking, infection control and distancing requirements, ensuring there are no crowded spaces or places, report outbreaks of three or more cases, and allow employees to work from home as much as possible, and to stay home if they’re feeling sick.

Businesses that are not adhering to safety protocols to protect workers and customers increase the risk for COVID-19 spread. A list of non-compliant businesses that received citations can be found online. Non-compliance and dangerous conditions at businesses can be reported to Public Health by phone at 888-700-9995 or online at www.publichealth.lacounty.gov. These tips can be submitted anonymously.

For information about vaccine appointments in L.A. County and when your turn is coming up, to sign up for a vaccination newsletter, and much more, visit www.VaccinateLACounty.com (English) and www.VacunateLosAngeles.com (Spanish).

The 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.

California Thursday

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 on the variants CDPH is currently monitoring.

Blueprint for a Safer Economy
With the Regional Stay at Home Order rescinded statewide as of Jan. 25, 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. CDPH 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 Summary as of March 16

11 counties in the Purple (widespread) Tier

42 counties in the Red (substantial) Tier

4 counties in Orange (moderate) Tier

1 county in the Yellow (minimal) Tier

Blueprint tiers are updated weekly on Tuesdays. Find the status of activities in specific counties.

Additional Date and Updates

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

Updated Travel Advisory
CDPH has issued an updated travel advisory. Postponing travel and staying home is the best way to protect yourself and others from COVID-19. 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.

Safe Schools for All Plan
Gov. Newsom released his California’s Safe Schools for All plan, California’s framework to support schools to continue operating safely in person and to expand the number of schools safely resuming in-person instruction.

Vaccinate All 58
The COVID-19 shipment of the COVID-19 vaccine has arrived in California, and additional shipments will continue to arrive throughout this week. The first doses are being administered to health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities. The state is working closely with community partners and stakeholders to help ensure the vaccine is distributed and administered equitably across California. For more information, visit the CDPH COVID-19 Vaccine webpage and Vaccinate All 58.

New Testing Turnaround Time Dashboard
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 Feb. 28 – March 6, the average time patients waited for test results was one day. During this same time period, 79% of patients received test results in one day and 95% received them within two days.

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.

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)
As of March 15, 380 cases Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) have been 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.

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 is critical to preventing long-term complications.

New 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. View COVID-19 Race & Ethnicity Data and Cases and Deaths by Age Group.

Popular links include:

– 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)

Your Actions Save Lives
California is experiencing the fastest increase in cases we have seen yet – faster than what we experienced at the outset of the pandemic and this summer. If COVID-19 continues to spread at this rate, it could quickly overwhelm our health care system and lead to catastrophic outcomes. Protect yourself, family, friends and community by following these prevention measures:

– Staying home except for essential needs/activities and following local and state public health guidelines when visiting businesses that are open.

– Following the Limited Stay at Home Order that requires allnon-essential work and activities to stop between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. in counties in the purple tier. The order took effect at 10 p.m. Saturday, November 21, and will remain in effect until 5 a.m. December 21.

– Staying close to home, avoiding non-essential travel, and practicing self-quarantine for 14 days after arrival if you leave the state.

– Keeping gatherings small, short and outdoors and limiting them to those 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.

– Following guidance from public health officials.

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.