Officials from Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital on Thursday announced the 171st death from COVID-19, spokesman Patrick Moody confirmed.

Currently, there are zero tests pending, 18 patients in the hospital, a total of 1,525 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.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed Monday 28 new deaths and 1,535 new cases of COVID-19 countywide, with 35,865 total cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.

Of the 28 new deaths reported Thursday, 10 people who passed away were over the age of 80, 12 people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79, two people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64, and three people who died were between the ages of 30 and 49. One death was reported by the city of Long Beach. To date, Public Health identified 1,459,182 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 26,106 deaths.

There are 871 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 29% of these people are in the ICU. This is a decrease of 120 daily hospitalizations over the past week. Among residents 12 and older, unvaccinated people are 15 to more than 20 times likelier to be hospitalized than vaccinated residents 12 and older.

Testing results are available for nearly 8,640,000 individuals with 16% of people testing positive. Thursday’s test positivity rate is 1.6%.

There are various vaccination verification requirements affecting L.A. County residents and workers. Today, Sept. 30, is the deadline for health care and home health care workers across L.A. County to be fully vaccinated. Earlier this week, the state issued a new order requiring workers in adult and senior care facilities and in home direct care settings to be fully vaccinated by Nov. 30. L.A. County employees have until October 1 and L.A. City employees have until Oct. 5.

On Oct. 7, proof of full vaccination or a negative test result will be required to enter outdoor mega events, and proof of at least one dose of the vaccine will be required to enter or work in indoor portions of bars, lounges, nightclubs, breweries, wineries, and distilleries in L.A. County. On November 4, bars and similar establishments throughout L.A. County will be required to verify full vaccination of all patrons and employees prior to entry to indoor portions of their establishments.

Under a state order, TK-12 school staff are required to be vaccinated by October 15 or test weekly. LAUSD students participating in extracurricular activities must be fully vaccinated by October 31, and Culver City students are required to be vaccinated by Nov. 19. All LAUSD students 12 and over must be fully vaccinated by Dec. 19. President Biden’s executive order requires federal workers to be fully vaccinated by Nov. 22.

Closely Monitoring Outbreaks

Public Health closely monitors community outbreaks as the Delta variant comprises 100% of all variants sequenced by the Public Health lab.

The highest numbers of outbreaks among vulnerable people in healthcare and residential settings over the last few months have been in settings serving people experiencing homelessness (40). Meanwhile, outbreaks at skilled nursing facilities (21), other long-term care facilities (15), and healthcare settings (1), where vaccination rates are relatively high, have been relatively low. These differences are real- time evidence of the protective effect of vaccines among our most vulnerable residents.

Over the last few months, the highest numbers of outbreaks at work sites have been in accommodation and food services settings (26), with elevated numbers in retail (25), manufacturing (13), transport and warehouse settings (20). The numbers of these outbreaks have fallen as community case rates have decreased; accommodation and food services settings (1), retail (1), manufacturing (6), and transport and warehouse settings (1).

Public Health continues to closely follow disease transmission at schools. Weekly student cases increased in August from about 1,300 to a peak of nearly 2,800 cases the week ending Aug. 22. The number of student close contacts increased correspondingly to a peak of nearly 11,000 by the end of August. Both student cases and contacts have since decreased substantially; last week, the County saw 829 student cases and 3,100 student close contacts. Meanwhile, staff numbers have also decreased weekly from their high point of 403 staff cases and 493 staff close contacts in mid-August: last week, there were only 109 staff cases and 26 staff close contacts.

While overall case numbers in schools are trending downward, the number of outbreaks has increased slightly over the last few weeks, from 11 outbreaks the week ending Sept. 18, to 12 outbreaks the week ending Sept. 25. Youth sports account for most outbreaks, although the County is seeing some outbreaks in elementary, middle, and high schools. These numbers are impressively low given that 3,000-plus schools are now open countywide.

**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:

Student Dashboard: The COVID-19 case data is updated regularly to indicate any currently confirmed COVID-19 positive cases in students by school site.

Staff Dashboard

Staff Dashboard: The COVID-19 case data is updated regularly to indicate any currently confirmed COVID-19 positive cases in staff by school site.

Santa Clarita Valley Thursday Update
As of 5:00 p.m. Thursday, the L.A. County Public Health dashboard recorded an additional death each in the city of Santa Clarita and Acton, bringing the total of COVID-19 deaths in the Santa Clarita Valley to 336.

The following is the community breakdown of the 336 SCV residents who have died, according to the L.A. County dashboard:

282 in Santa Clarita

20 in Castaic

10 in Acton

8 in Stevenson Ranch

6 in unincorporated Canyon Country

3 in Agua Dulce

2 in Val Verde

1 in unincorporated Bouquet Canyon

1 in Elizabeth Lake

1 in Newhall

1 in unincorporated Saugus/Canyon Country

1 in Valencia

0 in Lake Hughes (**revised from 1)

SCV Cases

Of the 35,865 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 26,346

* Castaic: 4,386

Stevenson Ranch: 1,645

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 1,126

Acton: 739

Val Verde: 417

Agua Dulce: 389

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 268

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 161

Elizabeth Lake: 108

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 69

Bouquet Canyon: 63

Lake Hughes: 55

Saugus/Canyon Country: 48

Sand Canyon: 22

San Francisquito/Bouquet Canyon: 19

Placerita Canyon: 4

*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

“Our hearts and thoughts are with those of you who have lost friends and loved ones during this difficult time,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “As we go through the next couple of months, helping organizations and establishments comply with vaccination requirements will be a focus for our public health teams. We continue to see high rates of compliance with other safety measures and anticipate similar cooperation with the implementation of the vaccination verification requirements. Targeted vaccination requirements are a critical strategy for keeping people safe – and they have a lot in common with many other public health measures employed to protect people from harm. Unvaccinated persons are more likely to get infected and spread the virus, which is transmitted through the air. The goal of these targeted vaccination mandates is to reduce the risks to keep everyone safe while moving us as quickly as possible toward the end of the pandemic.”

With cases declining in communities and schools, the County can focus on increasing vaccination rates as quickly as possible to avoid the disruption that would come with future waves of infection.

As of Sept. 26, 92% of L.A. County residents 65 and over have received at least one dose of the vaccine, 78% of residents 16 and over and 77% of residents 12 and over. Sixty-nine percent of residents 12 and over have been fully vaccinated. Sixty-seven percent of L.A. County teens between the ages of 12 and 17 received at least one dose and 59% are fully vaccinated. Out of the nearly 10.3 million L.A. County residents, including those who are not yet eligible for the vaccine, 66% have received at least one dose, and 59% are fully vaccinated. Millions of eligible residents remain unvaccinated.

Last Friday, Sept. 24, the County began administering booster doses as well as the additional doses administered to immunocompromised people. Countywide, a total of nearly 105,930 third doses have been administered by L.A. County providers.

The County continues to send hundreds of mobile vaccination teams into neighborhoods where unvaccinated people live and work to administer first, second, and third doses of vaccines. Ninety-five percent of mobile unit visits scheduled this week will be offering Pfizer vaccines, including boosters, and 704 fixed sites are offering Pfizer boosters. Over the coming weeks, Public Health mobile teams will be targeting communities with limited access to Pfizer doses to ensure that access to boosters is easy across the county.

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 Thursday

California Department of Public Health confirmed Thursday 4,488,848 cases and 68,670 deaths to date. There are 5,015 confirmed hospitalizations and 1,417 ICU hospitalizations in the state.

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

There were 5,967 newly reported confirmed cases Wednesday.

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

– For the week of Sept. 19 – Sept. 25, the average case rate among unvaccinated Californians age 16 or older is 57.41 per 100,000 per day and the average case rate among vaccinated Californians age 16 or older is significantly lower at 7.12 per 100,000 per day.

– The great majority of new cases are among unvaccinated individuals. The rate among the unvaccinated is 8 times the rate among the vaccinated.

The 7-day positivity rate is 2.6%.

There have been 92,523,189 tests conducted in California. This represents an increase of 281,282 during the prior 24-hour reporting period.

There have been COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

As of Sept. 30,according to the CDC, 83.9% of eligible Californians have received at least one dose. Providers have reported to CDPH that a total of 49,352,744 vaccine doses have been administered statewide. 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 Workers

As of Sept. 29, local health departments have reported 125,054 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 502 deaths statewide.

Stop the Spread: Get Vaccinated for COVID-19

The risk for COVID-19 exposure and infection continues as a number of Californians remain unvaccinated. With the emergence of the more transmissible Delta variant, there is a renewed urgency to get all eligible Californians vaccinated as quickly as possible and complete their two-dose vaccination process if they are receiving Pfizer or Moderna.

CDPH is reminding unvaccinated Californians that the COVID-19 vaccine is safe, free and provides excellent protection from severe COVID-19 illness, including the Delta variant, hospitalization, and death.

Individuals aged 12+ are eligible for vaccination. Visit myturn.ca.gov to make an appointment. Individuals aged 17 and younger may need the consent of a parent or legal guardian for vaccination. Visit Vaccinate All 58 to learn more about the safe and effective vaccines available.

Testing Turnaround Time

The testing turnaround time dashboard reports how long California patients are waiting for COVID-19 test results. During the week of Sept. 12 to Sept. 18, the average time patients waited for test results was 1.2 days. During this same time period, 72% of patients received test results in one day and 91% received them within two days.
Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)

As of Sept. 27, there have been 623 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.