The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed Thursday 290 new deaths and 15,129 new cases of COVID-19 countywide, with 16,853 total cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.

The number of new deaths reported Thursday surpasses Wednesday’s all-time high. However, a significant number of deaths reported Thursday are from the backlog associated with the Spectrum outage and holiday reporting delays.

In 2020, Public Health identified 770,602 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 10,345 deaths. Eighty-six percent of the people who died from COVID-19 this year had underlying health conditions.

Younger residents continue to drive increases in community transmission in the county. At the beginning of the current surge on November 1, there were 463 cases a day among residents between the ages of 30 and 49 years old. By December 22, there were 4,419 cases a day among residents in this age group; an increase of about 950%. The next group driving increases are young adults between the ages of 18 and 29 years old. When the surge began, there were 303 cases a day among adults between the ages of 18 and 29 years old. On December 22, there were 3,072 cases a day; a nearly 1,000% increase.

There are 7,546 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 20% of these people are in the ICU.

While the highest number of cases are among young adults, the individuals with the worst outcomes are those who are older. Residents over 80 years old have consistently experienced the highest rates of hospitalization among all age groups in L.A. County followed by residents 65 to 79 years old, and residents 50 to 64 years old. We are also seeing increases in the rate of hospitalization among younger people. The hospitalization rate among people between the ages of 18 to 29 years old increased by 350% since November. Even children between the ages of 12 and 17 years old are being impacted – they have experienced a 200% increase in their rate of hospitalizations.

California Thursday Snapshot
Statewide, the California Department of Public Health confirmed a total of 2,245,379 confirmed, with 25,386 deaths from the disease. There are 20,625 confirmed hospitalizations and 4,432 ICU hospitalizations in California.

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

There were 27,237 newly recorded confirmed cases Wednesday.

The 7-day positivity rate is 11.6% and the 14-day positivity rate is 11.9%.

There have been 32,855,482 tests conducted in California. This represents an increase of 232,406 over 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 December 30, a total of 335,983 vaccine doses have been administered statewide. As of December 28, a total of 1,762,900 vaccine doses have been distributed to local health departments and health care systems that have facilities in multiple counties.

*Note: Thursday’s age and gender data include numbers reported as of Dec. 29 due to a delay in analyzing demographic information for the cases from the prior 24 hours. Case, fatality and hospitalization data include numbers reported as of Dec. 30.

Health Care Worker Infection Rates
As of Dec. 29, local health departments have reported 68,495 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 256 deaths statewide.

Santa Clarita Valley Thursday Update
As of 5:30 p.m. Thursday, the L.A. County Public Health dashboard, reported 119 deaths among Santa Clarita Valley residents since the pandemic began, but did not yet include 1 death Henry Mayo recently accounted for.

Of the 120 SCV residents who have died, 101 lived in Santa Clarita, 6 in Castaic, 4 in Acton, 3 in unincorporated Canyon Country, 3 in Stevenson Ranch, 1 in unincorporated Bouquet Canyon, 1 in Val Verde, and 1 in a community not yet named.

Of the 16,853 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 11,849

Castaic: 2,929 (includes Pitchess Detention Center and North County Correctional Facility*)

Stevenson Ranch: 619

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 494

Acton: 268

Val Verde: 184

Agua Dulce: 128

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 101

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 88

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 56

Elizabeth Lake: 41

Saugus/Canyon Country: 26

Bouquet Canyon: 25

Lake Hughes: 22

Sand Canyon: 10

San Francisquito/Bouquet Canyon: 6

*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
Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital reported three new COVID-19 deaths on Monday, another fatality Tuesday, and another death on Wednesday, bringing the hospital’s total to date to 72, spokesman Patrick Moody said.

In the month of November, 8 COVID-19 patients died at Henry Mayo. In December, as of Wednesday, Dec. 30, 34 people have died at the hospital, Moody said — an average of more than one death per day.

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.

As of Wednesday, of the 15,270 people tested for COVID-19 at Henry Mayo to date, 2,464 tested positive, 18,152 were negative, 9 were pending, 88 patients were hospitalized in dedicated units receiving ICU-level care (two fewer than Tuesday), and a total of 672 COVID-19 patients have been treated and discharged so far, Moody said.

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

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

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

L.A. County

Of the 290 new deaths reported today, 11 deaths were reported by the city of Long Beach and one death was reported by the city of Pasadena.

The age group with the highest number of deaths per day are people over 80 years old. When the surge began in early November, there were 4 deaths a day on average for people over 80 years old. As of December 22, the county is experiencing 40 deaths a day on average for people over 80 years old. The next group with the highest number of deaths per day are people between the ages of 65 and 79 years old. As of December 22, 35 people died a day in this age group. Older residents in Los Angeles County are unfortunately suffering the greatest losses in this pandemic. We need to do everything we can to protect everyone, especially our most senior citizens.

Testing results are available for nearly 4,700,000 individuals with 15% of people testing positive. The daily test positivity rate is 22.5%. This high positivity rate remains alarming and should tell everyone that the coronavirus is very prevalent and persistent in all corners of the county.

“As we come to the end of 2020 and as this awful pandemic continues, I want to express our deepest sympathies to everyone who lost a loved one, a friend, a co-worker or a neighbor from COVID-19 this year. Our thoughts are with you and we wish you healing and peace,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “We thank everyone – as this year ends – for all you have done to protect each other and wish we didn’t need to ask folks to continue to forgo certain activities that are important to well-being. Unfortunately, the urgency has never been greater to protect those we love and all those essential workers caring for our loved ones in healthcare facilities and providing us with essential services. Tonight, and throughout the weekend, we need everyone to stay home and celebrate the advent of the new year with just your immediate household. All it takes is one slip to have one exposure and the coronavirus has found another host, another victim. And, our dangerous surge continues. As we head into a new year, we wish everyone peace and ask that we work together to save lives.”

Public Health asks all businesses in L.A. County to start 2021 with a pledge to be a responsible company. We strongly encourage all business owners and managers to take extra steps to be fully compliant with the safeguards and modifications set forth in the Stay at Home Order and Public Health protocols. Your efforts will help protect your workers and their families. This next week employers should also make sure that employees who recently traveled for leisure or recreation are self-quarantining for 10 days upon their return. Where possible, employees that can telework should be encouraged to do so for at least the first couple of weeks in January while community transmission rates are likely to be very high. These efforts can help prevent spread of the virus at worksites.

We want to highlight the devastating impact of COVID-19 on our community; more than 10,000 people passing away this year, and all were loved by and loved others. #Every10Minutes someone dies of COVID-19 in L.A. County. Until we slow the spread, the next person to tragically pass away could be someone you know. Today at 12:00 a.m., Public Health began the #Every10Minutes campaign and is sending tweets on Twitter every 10 minutes until midnight tonight to honor those that we lost and remind everyone to sacrifice so we save lives: Please stay home. Please physically distance. Please wear a face covering when outside. Slow the spread. Save a life. Follow Public Health on Twitter @lapublichealth.

For those who need someone to talk to, the Department of Mental Health’s Help Line operates 24 hours a day 7 days a week. They can provide you with access to emotional support and referrals for mental health and wellness services. The phone number to access all these services is (800) 854-7771, or text “LA” to 741741 to start a conversation.

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

Based on ICU data, four regions, San Joaquin Valley, Southern California, Greater Sacramento and the Bay Area continue under the Regional Stay at Home Order. Once a region’s four-week ICU projection shows a capacity of greater than or equal to 15%, the order will be lifted for that area. ICU projections are calculated daily for regions that are eligible to exit the order.

While the Greater Sacramento region’s daily current ICU capacity numbers have been relatively consistent at approximately 14%, early projections over the next four weeks show ICU capacity is likely to drop. Therefore, the order will likely be extended for that region. Official ICU projections for the Greater Sacramento region will be posted on January 2 based on January 1 data.

Current Available ICU Capacity by Region

Bay Area: 8.5%

Greater Sacramento: 14.4%

Northern California: 34.1%

San Joaquin Valley: 0.0%

Southern California: 0.0%

Current Status of Regional Stay at Home Order in Affected Regions
San Joaquin Valley: Remains under order because four-week ICU projections are less than 15%.

Southern California: Remains under order because four-week ICU projections are less than 15%.

Greater Sacramento: Eligible to exit the order as early as January 2, however the order will likely be extended based on early ICU projections. Official ICU projections will be calculated beginning with January 1 data and posted publicly on January 2, which will inform future status of the region.

Bay Area: Will remain under the order until January 8 at the earliest with potential to extend depending on four-week ICU capacity projections.

The ICU capacity projections are 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.

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

Safe Schools for All Plan
Governor 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.

Holiday Tips
Reduce your risk this holiday season and help stop the spread of COVID-19. Follow guidance from CDPH and plan safer celebrations. Get Holiday tips at covid19.ca.gov.

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. 6 – Dec. 12, the average time patients waited for test results was 1.8 days. During this same time period, 46% of patients received test results in one day and 75% received them within two days.

At this time, all four tiers in the Testing Prioritization Guidance will have equal priority for testing.

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 Dec. 28, 159 cases of 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.