The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed Thursday 13 new deaths and 2,767 new cases of COVID-19 countywide, with 29,192 total cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.

Los Angeles County continues to see a rapid rise in COVID-19 transmission countywide with cases doubling over the last 10 days.

Thursday’s test positivity rate is 5.2%; an increase from the rate of 1.2% on June 15 when physical distancing restrictions and capacity limits were lifted across all sectors.

The County’s daily average case rate, with a 7-day lag, is now 12.9 cases per 100,000 people, an increase from last week’s rate of 7.1 cases per 100,000.

There are 645 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 22% of these people are in the ICU. Last week, there were 406 people hospitalized with COVID-19 illness.

To date, Public Health identified 1,276,137 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 24,607 deaths. Testing results are available for more than 7,213,000 individuals with 16% of people testing positive.

Rise in Delta Variant

Public Health has detailed the rise of the Delta variant among strains sequenced in the Los Angeles County area for weeks. While emerging data affirms that fully vaccinated people are well protected from severe infections with Delta variants, people with only one vaccine are not as well-protected, and there is increased evidence that a small number of fully vaccinated individuals can become infected and may be able to infect others. From July 11 to July 17, the number of sequenced Delta variants was 201, 84% of all sequences collected that week. This is consistent with the rise of Delta nationwide: earlier this week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that Delta strains accounted for 83% of circulating COVID-19. Given that about 4 million residents in L.A. County are not yet vaccinated, the risk of increased spread of this variant within L.A. County remains high.

As of July 18, more than 10,845,531 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered to people across Los Angeles County. Of these, 6,013,569 were first doses and 4,831,962 were second doses. Eighty-eight percent of L.A. County seniors 65 and over, 70% of residents 16 and over, and 69% of residents 12 and over have received one dose of vaccine including 39% of L.A. County teens between the ages of 12 and 17. Of the nearly 10.3 million L.A .County residents, including those who are not yet eligible for the vaccine, 52% are fully vaccinated and 59% have received at least one dose.

As more people have gotten vaccinated, the proportion of total cases that are among those vaccinated has also increased. This is to be expected because as more people are vaccinated, the number of fully vaccinated people becoming infected will increase. In June, fully vaccinated people represented 20% of all cases diagnosed among L.A. County residents, while unvaccinated and partially vaccinated people accounted for 80% of cases.

Public Health estimates if the 52% of County residents that are fully vaccinated were not vaccinated, the amount of new cases would perhaps be double because everyone would instead have the same risk of infection as unvaccinated people do. While County numbers have been going up, they would be much higher if there weren’t as many people fully vaccinated.

Among the more than 4.8 million fully vaccinated people in L.A. County, Public Health identified 6,520 people who tested positive for a COVID-19 infection contracted more than two weeks after they were fully vaccinated. This is an increase of 58% from the approximately 4,100 post-vaccination cases detected last week. This translates to 0.13% of fully vaccinated people who have tested positive, up from last week’s 0.09%. The rise in hospitalizations among fully vaccinated people was much smaller, from 213 to 287, from 0.0045% to 0.0059% of all fully vaccinated people. And deaths in this group also increased less dramatically, from 26 to 30, again with the increase of vaccinations from 0.0005% to 0.0006%

Of the 13 new deaths reported Thursday, eight people that passed away were over the age of 80, one person who passed was between the ages of 65 and 79, two people who passed were between the ages of 50 and 64, and two people who passed were between the ages of 30 and 49.

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

Santa Clarita Valley Thursday Update
As of 5:30 p.m. Thursday, the L.A. County Public Health dashboard remained unchanged from Wednesday, with a total of 308 (revised down from 309) COVID-19 related deaths in the SCV since the pandemic began.

The following is the community breakdown of the 308 SCV residents who have died, according to the L.A. County dashboard:

266 in Santa Clarita

16 in Castaic (**revised initially from 18)

6 in Acton

6 in Stevenson Ranch

4 in unincorporated Canyon Country

3 in Agua Dulce

1 in unincorporated Bouquet Canyon

1 in Elizabeth Lake

1 in Lake Hughes

1 in Newhall

1 in unincorporated Saugus/Canyon Country

1 in Valencia

1 in Val Verde

Of the 29,192 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 21,385

Castaic: 3,845

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

Stevenson Ranch: 1,244

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 885

Acton: 513

Val Verde: 345

Agua Dulce: 301

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 212

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 137

Elizabeth Lake: 82

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 69

Bouquet Canyon: 50

Lake Hughes: 42

Saugus/Canyon Country: 45

Sand Canyon: 18

San Francisquito/Bouquet Canyon: 15

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.

Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital Thursday Update
As of deadline Thursday, there was no new available data from Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital. However, on Wednesday, hospital spokesman Patrick Moody announced two additional COVID-19-related deaths, bringing the total to 151.

As of Wednesday, Moody said the hospital had zero tests pending, 10 patients hospitalized, a total of 1,278 patients 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.

L.A. County

“I send my deepest sympathies to everyone mourning a loved one lost to COVID-19,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “Most of the illness and death experienced among L.A. County residents from COVID-19 is preventable because of the vaccines current availability. And while the vaccines are not perfect at preventing all infections and illness, they continue to offer a powerful tool for reducing transmission. Adding masking for everyone indoors provides an additional layer of protection to counter the very infectious Delta variant. And while it is disappointing that we are again witnessing a surge in cases, compliance with the new mask directive and increasing vaccination rates provide us with strategies for getting back to low rates of transmission.”

Anyone 12 and older living or working in L.A. County can get vaccinated against COVID-19. Vaccinations are widely available throughout L.A. County and many sites are open on weekends and have evening hours.

Through Thursday, at County-run vaccination sites, LA City sites, and St. John’s Well Child and Family Center sites, everyone 18 and older coming to get a vaccine will have an opportunity to win one of seven packages of tickets to family fun at the Staples Center, including performances by the Harlem Globetrotters, Disney on Ice, and the Gold Over America tour starring Simone Biles. Official rules and participating site locations are posted online on the Los Angeles County Vaccination Sweepstakes page. Winners will be contacted by phone and/or email.

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 3,778,047 cases and 63,695 deaths to date. There are 2,405 confirmed hospitalizations and 575 ICU hospitalizations in the state.

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

There were 5,577 newly reported confirmed cases Wednesday.

Cases are increasing statewide, largely among unvaccinated populations.

– For the week of July 7-14, the average case rate among unvaccinated Californians is 13 per 100,000 and the average case rate among vaccinated Californians is significantly lower at 2 per 100,000.

– Between January 1 and July 14, 99% of the state’s cumulative cases have occurred among unvaccinated individuals.

The 7-day positivity rate is 4.9%.

There have been 72,268,108 tests conducted in California. This represents an increase of 111,325 during the prior 24-hour reporting period.

As of July 22, providers have reported administering a total of 43,214,612 vaccine doses statewide. The CDC reports that 49,060,085 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 Workers

As of July 21, local health departments have reported 115,063 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 480 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 July 11 to July 17, the average time patients waited for test results was under one day. During this same time period, 85% of patients received test results in one day and 96% received them within two days.

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)

As of July 19, there have been 580 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.