The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed Thursday 27 new deaths and 1,167 new cases of COVID-19 countywide, with 36,924 total cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.

Of the 27 new deaths reported Thursday, seven people who passed away were over the age of 80, two people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79, eight people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64 and four people who died were between the ages of 30 and 49. Six deaths were reported by the city of Long Beach.

To date, Public Health has identified 1,481,814 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 26,499 deaths.

There are 613 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized, and 29% of these people are in the ICU. Testing results are available for more than 8,940,000 individuals with 15% of people testing positive. Thursday’s test positivity rate is 0.9%.

Overall, the County continues to see a small decrease across all metrics. Daily average case numbers are 828 as of October 13th, down 18% from the prior week, while daily average hospitalizations decreased 14% to reach 676, and daily average deaths are below 10, now at 8 per day.

Unvaccinated people continue to account for most cases and hospitalizations, and are 6 times more likely to get infected and 23 times more likely to be hospitalized than vaccinated people. Although deaths are now declining, the risk of death is 43 times higher among people who have not been vaccinated.

L.A. County Schools

Public Health is working closely with schools to monitor safety amid continued substantial transmission in L.A. County. Last week, there were 568 student cases and about 2,100 student close contacts. Among staff, we saw 79 cases and 186 close contacts. These numbers represent a 37% decline in school cases and a 45% decline in staff cases from the prior week. Given there are 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 0.1% identified as close contacts.

L.A. County Amps Up Efforts for Booster Shot Availability
Public Health remains focused on administering first doses of vaccine to communities countywide, vaccination sites are preparing to make boosters available to everyone who needs one.

Approved Boosters

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) met and approved boosters Thursday for Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines and noted that consumers are allowed to choose a different brand from their original vaccine as a booster. Once the CDC director provides their final approval, providers across the county will be able to administer additional doses.

The recommendations by the CDC and FDA allows for Booster doses of all three FDA-approved vaccines – Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson. Eligibility varies depending on which vaccine you initially received: anyone who received Johnson & Johnson more than two months ago is eligible for a booster shot. Meanwhile, booster eligibility for those who received Pfizer or Moderna is currently limited to people who received their primary series at least 6 months ago and who are either 65 and older or are over 18 and live in long-term care settings, have underlying medical conditions, or work or live in high-risk settings. People may receive booster shots of either the vaccine they originally received or a different vaccine.

Public Health estimates that 1.7 million residents in L.A. County received their second dose of Pfizer at least 6 months ago, 1.5 million received their two Moderna doses at least 6 months ago, and 470,000 residents received their Johnson & Johnson vaccine at least two months ago. Many of these individuals will be eligible for boosters once there is final CDC director approval.

The FDA and CDC are also expected to approve and recommend Pfizer vaccines for children aged 5 to 11 in early November. In L.A. County, this will make 900,000 children newly eligible for vaccination with pediatric doses of Pfizer vaccine. Pediatric doses of Pfizer vaccine are smaller than the adult and teen vaccine doses, 10 versus 30 micrograms, but the dosing schedule is the same: for children, teens and adults, two doses are given 21 days apart.

Currently, the County expects to get nearly 96,000 doses as part of our first wave of vaccine supply the first week in November, with many more doses arriving in two additional waves following very quickly thereafter. Doses are being allocated to the County and to the rest of the country on a pro-rata basis; based on your population. We do not anticipate scarcity, and expect there will be ample vaccine to meet demand.

An enormous network of providers countywide, is scaling up to provide vaccines to children between the ages of 5 and 11.

**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

Staff Dashboard

Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital

As of Thursday, Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital currently had zero tests pending, 12 patients in the hospital, and a total of 1,577 patients who have been treated and discharged since the pandemic began, and no additional deaths, spokesman Patrick Moody 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.

Santa Clarita Valley Thursday Update
As of 5:45 p.m. Thursday, the L.A. County Public Health dashboard recorded a new death in the city of Santa Clarita, bringing the total of COVID-19 deaths in the SCV to 348.

The following is the community breakdown of the 348 SCV residents who have died, according to the L.A. County dashboard:

292 in Santa Clarita

21 in Castaic

10 in Acton

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 36,924 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 27,124

* Castaic: 4,465

Stevenson Ranch: 1,733

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 1,152

Acton: 766

Val Verde: 424

Agua Dulce: 404

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 280

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 166

Elizabeth Lake: 116

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 69

Bouquet Canyon: 68

Lake Hughes: 58

Saugus/Canyon Country: 51

Sand Canyon: 24

San Francisquito/Bouquet Canyon: 19

Placerita Canyon: 5

*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 prayers go out to those of you who have lost friends, neighbors, coworkers, and loved ones during this difficult time. Please know our deepest condolences are with you,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “Throughout this pandemic, we have seen a pattern where COVID numbers increase with cooler weather and with more activities moving indoors. Layering protections is a sensible approach, and we have focused on layering with safety measures that do not create significant disruptions to customary operations. After vaccinations, masking offers us the next best tool for reducing spread. As we get ready to celebrate fall holidays, staying mindful of avoiding unnecessary risks should be top of mind for everyone.”

While you don’t need an appointment at many places to get a first, second or third dose, it is very easy to make an appointment for a booster dose. You can go to MyTurn.CA.gov or to our website at VaccinateLACounty.com to make an appointment and for more information about booster shots. Additionally, many pharmacies and clinics countywide may be accepting appointments through their own systems.

Vaccinations are widely available throughout L.A. County and are always free and open to eligible residents and workers regardless of immigration status.

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.

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 4,600,506 cases and 70,741 deaths to date. There are 3,637 confirmed hospitalizations and 992 ICU hospitalizations in the state.

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

There were 5,124 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 Oct. 3 – Oct. 9, the average case rate among unvaccinated Californians age 16 or older is 35.6 per 100,000 per day and the average case rate among vaccinated Californians age 16 or older is significantly lower at 5.4 per 100,000 per day.

– The great majority of new cases are among unvaccinated individuals. The rate among the unvaccinated is 6.6 times the rate among the vaccinated.

The 7-day positivity rate is 2.1%.

There have been 99,372,992 tests conducted in California. This represents an increase of 220,598 during the prior 24-hour reporting period.

As of Oct. 21, according to the CDC, 86.1% of eligible Californians have received at least one dose. Providers have reported to CDPH that a total of 51,603,034 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. 20, local health departments have reported 127,231 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 518 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. 10 to Oct. 16, the average time patients waited for test results was 0.9 days. During this same time period, 81% of patients received test results in one day and 96% received them within two days.

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)

As of Oct. 18, there have been 660 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.