The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed Thursday 287 new deaths and 17,323 new cases of COVID-19, with 20,918 total cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.

Los Angeles County has tragically experienced nearly 2,000 COVID-19 deaths in just a week, and marked another grim milestone of recording more than 13,000 total COVID-19 deaths.

To date, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health identified 975,299 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 13,234 deaths. Last Thursday, Jan. 7, Public Health reported a total 11,545 COVID-19 deaths.

Of the 287 new deaths reported Thursday, 115 people who passed away were over the age of 80, 95 people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79, 47 people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64 and 13 people who died were between the ages of 30 and 49. Fifteen deaths were reported by the city of Long Beach and two deaths were reported by the city of Pasadena.

There are 7,906 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 21% of these people are in the ICU. The County has gone from under 800 people hospitalized with COVID-19 two months ago to slightly under 8,000 patients. The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 must significantly decrease in order to relieve our overwhelmed hospitals and healthcare workers.

According to the State, the Southern California Region continues to have 0% ICU capacity remaining.

Deaths Among Pregnant Women:

Public Health reports three additional deaths among pregnant women positive with COVID-19. As of Jan. 11, there have been a total of eight deaths among the 5,009 pregnant women who tested positive for COVID-19. Seventy-nine percent of pregnant women testing positive for COVID-19 are Latina/Latinx, 9% are White, 4% are African American/Black, 4% are Asian, less than 1% are Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, 2% identify with another race, and race/ethnicity was unknown or unspecified for 2%. Among the 2,493 births where there was testing information, 37 babies tested positive for the virus.

Pregnant women are at an increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19 and death. Public Health urges expecting and new moms to take extra care and remain home as much as possible to avoid exposure to COVID-19. If you are sick or positive for COVID-19 and breastfeeding, wear a mask while breastfeeding or bottle-feeding, and be sure to wash your hands before touching the baby or any pump or bottle before using. If possible, ask someone else to feed the baby your breastmilk by bottle. Public Health has detailed guidance for expecting and new moms available online.

California Thursday Snapshot
Statewide, the California Department of Public Health confirmed a total of 2,816,969 cases, with 31,654 deaths from the disease. There are 21,282 confirmed hospitalizations and 4,770 ICU hospitalizations in California.

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

There were 35,930 newly recorded confirmed cases Wednesday.

The 7-day positivity rate is 12.6% and the 14-day positivity rate is 13.4%.

There have been 37,130,366 tests conducted in California. This represents an increase of 287,715 during the prior 24-hour reporting period.

As case numbers continue to rise in California, the total number of individuals who will have serious outcomes will also increase.

As of Jan. 13, a total of 971,829 vaccine doses have been administered statewide. As of Jan. 13, a total of 2,948,350 vaccine doses, which includes the first and second dose, have been shipped to local health departments and health care systems that have facilities in multiple counties.

Health Care Worker Infection Rates
As of Jan. 13, local health departments have reported 77,215 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 298 deaths statewide.

Santa Clarita Valley Thursday Update
As of 4:30 p.m. Thursday, the L.A. County Public Health dashboard, recorded 148 deaths among Santa Clarita Valley residents since the pandemic began, but had not yet included the most recent deaths reported by Henry Mayo.

Of the 151 SCV residents who have died, 126 lived in Santa Clarita, 7 in Castaic, 5 in Acton, 4 in Stevenson Ranch, 3 in unincorporated Canyon Country, 1 in Agua Dulce, 1 in unincorporated Bouquet Canyon, 1 in Val Verde, and 3 in communities not yet named.

Of the 20,918 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 15,072

Castaic: 3,211 (includes Pitchess Detention Center and North County Correctional Facility*)

Stevenson Ranch: 807

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 615

Acton: 342

Val Verde: 230

Agua Dulce: 176

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 137

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 102

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 57

Elizabeth Lake: 53

Lake Hughes: 34

Bouquet Canyon: 34

Saugus/Canyon Country: 26

San Francisquito/Bouquet Canyon: 12

Sand Canyon: 10

*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 Thursday Update
Note: There was no available data released Thursday. Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital releases complete statistics weekly, usually on Wednesdays, unless one or more new deaths occur.

Henry Mayo reported on 2 more fatalities on Wednesday bringing the hospital’s COVID-19 death toll to 96 patients since the pandemic began, according to spokesman Patrick Moody.

In the month of November, 8 COVID-19 patients died at Henry Mayo. In December, four times that many people — 34 — died at the hospital, Moody said, an average of more than one death per day.

In 2021, as of January 13, the hospital has already reported 24 patient deaths, now averaging more than two per day.

Just since Friday, Jan. 8, 13 patients have died at Henry Mayo due to COVID-19, he 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.

Only partial data again was available Wednesday, he said. As of Wednesday, 98 patients were hospitalized in dedicated COVID-19 units receiving ICU-level care (six fewer than Monday), and a total of 840 COVID-19 patients have been treated and discharged so far and 3 tests were pending

Discrepancies in the testing numbers at the hospital are due to some patients being tested multiple times, he said.

Due to staffing shortages and a large number of COVID-19 patient admissions, Henry Mayo recently issued a “code triage” alert and put out a call for nurses and doctors to fill open staff positions.

L.A. County

“To the families and friends of the more than 13,000 L.A. County residents who have passed away from COVID-19, we send our deepest sympathies,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “When we ask our residents to stay home and follow the rules and businesses to follow the Health Officer Orders, it is to stop the loss of life from COVID-19. This disease is running rampant right now, and we continue to plead with residents, businesses and government, the community to do all possible to stop the spread.”

While vaccine supply remains limited, we are moving as quickly as possible to vaccinate healthcare workers in Phase 1A. Once we receive additional vaccine from the State for Phase 1B, we will begin to offer vaccine to people 65 and older at various locations across the county. Visit: www.VaccinateLACounty.com to learn about the vaccination phases, determine when you can get vaccinated, and sign-up for our COVID-19 vaccine newsletter.

Public Health will host a COVID-19 Vaccine Virtual Town Hall on Tuesday, Jan. 19, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Join the town hall to learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine, how it was developed, where it will be distributed in our communities, and when it will be made available to the general public. The town hall will be streamed live on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube @lapublichealth. For more information and to submit a question, visit http://tinyurl.com/askcovidtownhall.

Testing results are available for nearly 5,120,000 individuals with 18% of people testing positive.

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

The California Department of Public Health released Thursday the most recent statistics on COVID-19, including data on intensive care unit (ICU) capacity across the state. Beginning Thursday, CDPH will update the Regional Stay at Home metrics for each region twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays. The next update will be Friday, Jan. 15.

Projected ICU capacity remains below 15% in the Bay Area, San Joaquin Valley and Southern California regions. which remain under the Regional Stay at Home Order. The order will be lifted for a region once its four-week ICU projection shows a capacity of greater than or equal to 15%.

Counties within the Greater Sacramento and Northern California region are under the tiering system and rules of the Blueprint for a Safer Economy.

ICU capacity projections for regions that are eligible to exit the order are calculated daily based on four factors: current estimated regional ICU capacity available, measure of current community transmission, current regional case rates and the proportion of ICU cases being admitted. Decreasing community transmission and increasing the health system capacity can help a region’s projected ICU capacity so they can exit the order.

Due to high rates of COVID-19 hospitalizations impacting the health care system, California is also under a Limited Stay at Home Order. The order applies to all counties that are currently under the Regional Stay at Home Order and those in Tier One (Purple) of the Blueprint for a Safer Economy. The Limited Stay at Home Order will expire after the Regional Stay At Home Order has been terminated in all regions of the state.

Hospital Surge Order

On Jan. 5, CDPH issued a public health order to reduce pressure on strained hospital systems. To preserve services for the sickest patients, the hospital surge order requires some non-essential and non-life-threatening surgeries to be delayed in counties with 10% or less of ICU capacity under the Regional Stay at Home Order where the regional ICU capacity is at 0%. Examples of procedures that may be delayed include carpal tunnel release and non-urgent spine surgeries. Surgeries for patients who have serious and urgent medical conditions will continue. Examples of procedures that will continue include serious cancer removal and necessary heart surgeries. The order will remain in effect for at least three weeks and will continue until rescinded.

The order requires hospitals statewide to accept patient transfers from facilities that have implemented contingency or crisis care guidelines as long as those transfers can be done capably and safely. On December 28, 2020 CDPH provided guidance to health care facilities on implementing the Crisis Care Continuum Guidelines issued in June 2020.

Counties Currently Impacted by the Hospital Surge Order:

San Joaquin Valley: Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Merced, San Benito, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, and Tulare.

Southern California: Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Barbara, and Ventura

See region map. Read the full Regional Stay at Home Order, Supplement to the Order, and frequently asked questions.

Updated Travel Advisory
CDPH has issued an updated travel advisory. Except in connection with essential travel, Californians should avoid non-essential travel to any part of California more than 120 miles from one’s place of residence, or to other states or countries. Avoiding travel reduces the risk of virus transmission, including by reducing the risk that new sources of infection and, potentially, new virus strains will be introduced to California. 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.

Blueprint for a Safer Economy

Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled the Blueprint for a Safer Economy, a statewide plan for reducing COVID-19 and keeping Californians healthy and safe. The plan imposes risk-based criteria on tightening and loosening COVID-19 allowable activities and expands the length of time between changes to assess how any movement affects the trajectory of the disease.

Californians can go to covid19.ca.gov to find out where their county falls and what activities are allowable in each county.

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 Dec. 27 – Jan. 2, the average time patients waited for test results was 1.4 days. During this same time period, 60% of patients received test results in one day and 87% 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 Jan. 11, 167 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 that tracks California’s health equity measure and data by race and ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender identity.

Racial Demographics – A More Complete Picture
The California Department of Public Health is committed to health equity and collecting more detailed racial and ethnic data that will provide additional understanding for determining future action. Health outcomes are affected by forces including structural racism, poverty and the disproportionate prevalence of underlying conditions such as asthma and heart disease among Latinos and African American Californians. Only by looking at the full picture can we understand how to ensure the best outcomes for all Californians.

The differences in health outcomes related to COVID-19 are most stark in COVID-19 deaths. We have nearly complete data on race and ethnicity for COVID-19 deaths, and we are seeing the following trends: Latinos, African Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders are dying at disproportionately higher levels. More males are dying from COVID-19 than females, in line with national trends. More information is available at COVID-19 Race and Ethnicity Data.

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.