The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed Thursday 19 new deaths and 1,142 new cases of COVID-19 countywide, with 36,556 total cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.

Of the 19 new deaths reported Monday, seven people who passed away were over the age of 80, two people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79, three people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64, and seven people who died were between the ages of 30 and 49.

To date, Public Health has identified 1,474,518 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 26,372 deaths.

There are 698 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 28% of these people are in the ICU. Testing results are available for nearly 8,833,000 individuals with 15% of people testing positive. Thursday’s test positivity rate is 1.0%.

The slight downward trend across all metrics has continued, with the County’s daily average case numbers decreasing 18% from 1,000 as of Oct. 5, to now 925. Meanwhile, daily average hospitalizations are down to below 750, a 14% reduction from the prior week, and deaths decreased 25% to an average of 12 people passing away every day. Although we are thankful to see these numbers declining, we still have substantial transmission and will need to be vigilant if we want to reduce spread of the virus.

Substantial Transmission Rate
Given there is substantial transmission in L.A. County, K-12 schools remain focused on providing as much safety as possible for in-person learning. While there is a lot of evidence showing the protection vaccines offer, data on school cases and close contacts demonstrates the protective impact of other preventive measures, especially masking.

Last week, there were 591 student cases and nearly 2,400 student close contacts identified, a decrease of about 45% in both groups from the previous week. Among staff, there were 88 cases and 171 close contacts. Taking into account that the County has more than 1.7 million children and staff attending or working at over 3,000 schools countywide, these are strikingly low numbers. This amounts to 0.04% of students and staff testing positive and 0.2% identified as close contacts. The very low numbers represent a lot of hard work by superintendents, staff, parents, and students to consistently implement mitigation strategies. These efforts are making it possible to keep school communities safe.

Since Aug. 16, the County has seen a total of 21 outbreaks in youth sports programs. Sixteen of those outbreaks have been associated with football, four were associated with cheerleading and dance teams, and one was associated with baseball. Overall, these outbreaks involved 394 cases and 1,527 contacts. Most of the infected individuals have been unvaccinated. Public Health continues to find that factors associated with spread include inconsistent masking, socialization on and off campus, inconsistent distancing in locker rooms and weight rooms, and shared transportation to and from events.

With the urgent need to avoid another devastating winter surge, new Health Officer Orders went into effect last week to create additional protections at high risk settings across the county. Bars, breweries, wineries, distilleries, nightclubs and lounges, along with outdoor mega events with more than 10,000 people, are all implementing vaccine verification requirements. As a reminder masks are still required for everyone indoors and at all indoor and outdoor mega events.

L.A County Readies to Administer Boosters

Thursday and Friday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee is meeting to discuss the need for boosters for those vaccinated with Johnson & Johnson or Moderna, and the committee today recommended approval of the Moderna booster dose. The committee will also review data on the safety and efficacy of ‘mixing and matching’ with a booster dose, which would involve receiving a different brand vaccine for the booster than that received for the original series.

Los Angeles County is prepared to administer Johnson & Johnson and Moderna boosters once the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) approves and determines eligibility.

In Los Angeles County, 947,664 individuals completed the Moderna two-dose series and 298,497 completed the Johnson & Johnson single dose by April 10. Most of these individuals will be eligible for boosters once approved by the CDC.

With final CDC approval for boosters, the vast county-wide network is prepared to begin administering these additional boosters to all eligible as determined by the CDC directive.

**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.

Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital

As of Thursday, there were zero tests pending, 19 patients in the hospital, a total of 1,562 patients who have been treated and discharged since the pandemic began, and no additional deaths, confirmed spokesman Patrick Moody.

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.

Santa Clarita Valley Thursday Update
As of 5:45 p.m. Thursday, the L.A. County Public Health dashboard remained the same as Wednesday with a total of 345 COVID-19 deaths in the Santa Clarita Valley.

The following is the community breakdown of the 345 SCV residents who have died, according to the L.A. County dashboard:

289 in Santa Clarita

21 in Castaic

10 in Acton (**revised from 10)

8 in Stevenson Ranch

6 in unincorporated Canyon Country

3 in Agua Dulce

3 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 36,556 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 26,858

* Castaic: 4,434

Stevenson Ranch: 1,698

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 1,145

Acton: 756

Val Verde: 423

Agua Dulce: 399

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 274

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 166

Elizabeth Lake: 116

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 69

Bouquet Canyon: 64

Lake Hughes: 57

Saugus/Canyon Country: 50

Sand Canyon: 24

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

“To everyone who has lost friends and family during this difficult time, we are wishing you peace and comfort, and our prayers remain with you,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “We have seen excellent compliance with the new Health Officer Order to date and thank both the establishments and the patrons for taking this extra step to help us avoid a disastrous winter. I want to acknowledge that the operational challenges at large event venues are significant and we are grateful for their continued partnership. As the fall sports season gets into full swing, I know many of you will be headed to sports bars and our amazing local arenas to watch the big games. The best way to enjoy yourself safely is to be vaccinated and prepared to comply with the public health directives.”

Before going to your favorite sports bar, ensure you and any teens coming with you have had at least one dose of vaccine, if before Nov. 4, or are fully vaccinated, if on or after November 4. Bring proof of vaccination and a photo ID for everyone in your party, and plan to wear masks indoors except when actively eating or drinking. Consider using the outdoor areas of the establishment to be extra safe.

If you’re headed to a local venue to see a live game, make sure you and any accompanying teens are fully vaccinated or have had a recent negative COVID-19 test. Plan to bring proof of vaccination or negative testing for everyone in your party, and photo identification for everyone 18 and over. And once you’re at the game, please wear masks except when actively eating or drinking.

Public Health encourages everyone unvaccinated for COVID-19 to get vaccinated now to be fully protected for the holidays. Vaccinations are widely available throughout L.A. County and are always free and open to eligible residents and workers regardless of immigration status. Appointments are not needed at many sites and all Public Health vaccination sites where first, second, and third doses are available.

Vaccinated middle and high school students are eligible for free UCLA football tickets. UCLA has partnered with Public Health to give away free tickets to a UCLA football game at the Rose Bowl to middle or high school students in L.A. County who’ve received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while tickets last. Students aged 12 to 18 who’ve received at least one dose can sign up for the free tickets online by visiting: http://ph.lacounty.gov/DPHUCLAVaxforTix.

Anyone 12 and older living or working in L.A. County can get vaccinated.

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 4,565,279 cases and 70,010 deaths to date. There are 3,766 confirmed hospitalizations and 1,052 ICU hospitalizations in the state.

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

There were 3,960 newly reported confirmed cases Wednesday.

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

– For the week of Sept. 26 – Oct. 2, the average case rate among unvaccinated Californians age 16 or older is 38.7 per 100,000 per day and the average case rate among vaccinated Californians age 16 or older is significantly lower at 5.5 per 100,000 per day.

– The great majority of new cases are among unvaccinated individuals. The rate among the unvaccinated is 7.0 times the rate among the vaccinated.

The 7-day positivity rate is 2.2%.

There have been 96,955,035 tests conducted in California. This represents an increase of 250,718 during the prior 24-hour reporting period.

As of Oct. 14, according to the CDC, 85.4% of eligible Californians have received at least one dose. Providers have reported to CDPH that a total of 50,896,327 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 Oct. 13, local health departments have reported 126,533 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 515 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 Oct. 3 to Oct. 9, the average time patients waited for test results was 1.2 days. During this same time period, 79% of patients received test results in one day and 95% received them within two days.

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)

As of Oct. 11, there have been 644 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.