The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed Thursday a 165% increase of new cases over last week with 839 new cases of COVID-19.

To date, Public Health identified 1,254,354 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 24,525 deaths, with 28,422 total cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.

There are 296 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 24 percent of these people are in the ICU. Testing results are available for nearly 7,084,000 individuals with 16 percent of people testing positive.

The County’s daily average case rate is now 3.5 cases per 100,000 people, an increase from last week’s rate of 1.74 cases per 100,000.

Thursday’s daily test positivity rate is 2.5 percent, also an increase from last week’s rate of 1.2 percent.

With the recent rise in cases, tracking the proliferation of variants of concern remains a priority to better understand the factors that may be contributing to increased community transmission. Public Health is watching particularly closely for Delta variants which were first detected in India, and are now estimated to comprise about half of U.S. cases.

The Delta variant has been the most commonly sequenced variant in L.A. County since the beginning of June, now accounting for the majority of variants of concern identified by labs. From June 20 and June 26, the number of sequenced Delta variants was 63, 54 percent of all sequences collected that week. The rising proportion of Delta among sequenced variants of concern is consistent with what other parts of the U.S. are seeing, and for certain represents increased circulation of the variant. Given that slightly under 4 million residents in L.A. County are not yet vaccinated, the risk of increased spread remains high. The data to date suggests fully vaccinated people are well protected from severe infections with the Delta variant.

Among 4.6 million fully vaccinated people in L.A. County, Public Health identified 2,822 people who tested positive for a COVID-19 infection contracted more than two weeks after they were fully vaccinated. That means that about 0.06 percent of all fully vaccinated people tested positive for COVID-19. A total of 195 people, 0.004 percent of those fully vaccinated, were hospitalized for infections contracted while fully vaccinated. And 21 people died of their infections, 0.0004 percent. These numbers are very similar to the numbers seen last week.

As of July 4, more than 10,580,529 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered to people across Los Angeles County. Of these, 5,889,505 were first doses and 4,691,024 were second doses. Among L.A. County residents 16 and over, 69 percent have received one dose of vaccine and 60 percent have been fully vaccinated. Among L.A. County seniors 65 and over, 88 percent have received one dose of vaccine and 77 percent have been fully vaccinated.

Of the 11 new deaths reported Thursday, three people that passed away were over the age of 80, three people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79, one person who died was between the ages of 50 and 64, and four people who died were between the ages of 30 and 49.

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

Santa Clarita Valley Thursday Update
As of 5:00 p.m. Thursday, the L.A. County Public Health dashboard remained unchanged from Wednesday, with a total of 309 COVID-19 related deaths in the SCV since the pandemic began.

The following is the community breakdown of the 309 SCV residents who have died, according to the L.A. County dashboard:

266 in Santa Clarita

17 in Castaic (**revised 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 28,422 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 20,811

Castaic: 3,784

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

Stevenson Ranch: 1,183

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 858

Acton: 502

Val Verde: 340

Agua Dulce: 291

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 201

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 134

Elizabeth Lake: 82

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 69

Bouquet Canyon: 49

Lake Hughes: 42

Saugus/Canyon Country: 40

Sand Canyon: 18

San Francisquito/Bouquet Canyon: 15

Placerita Canyon: 3

*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 Thursday, Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital had zero cases pending, 11 patients hospitalized, a total of 1,258 patients treated and discharged since the pandemic began, and no additional deaths, hospital 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.

L.A. County

“Our deepest sympathies are with everyone who has lost someone they cared about to COVID-19,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “We continue to see in places where there are high rates of COVID-19 vaccinations, transmission of COVID-19 has plummeted and remains low. While vaccination rates continue to increase throughout L.A. County, COVID-19 and variants of concern like the Delta variant remain a threat to everyone unvaccinated. L.A. County has recently seen increases in cases, hospitalizations, and daily test positivity and the people that are overwhelming suffering from COVID-19, are the people who are not vaccinated. The best way to protect those not able to get vaccinated, including the 1.3 million children under 12 years of age, is to surround them with vaccinated folks. With rising community transmission, we already have noted increased cases occurring among even our very youngest children. If you are 12 or older and around younger children, please take time soon to get vaccinated if you have not yet done so. Let’s continue to keep each other safe.”

Through Thursday, July 8 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 four packages of tickets and passes to botanical gardens in the area. Each prize package consists of one annual membership to the Huntington Botanical Gardens and one-day passes to Descanso Gardens, L.A. County Arboretum, and South Coast Botanic Garden. Official rules and participating site locations are posted online on the Los Angeles 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 3,722,422 cases and 63,317 deaths to date. There are 1,319 confirmed hospitalizations and 318 ICU hospitalizations in the state.

The 7-day average is 3.1 cases per 100K.

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

There were 1,416 newly recorded confirmed cases Wednesday.

The 7-day positivity rate is 2.1 percent.

There have been 70,455,774 tests conducted in California. This represents an increase of 63,763 during the prior 24-hour reporting period.

As of July 8, providers have reported administering a total of 42,205,449 vaccine doses statewide. The CDC reports that 48,438,165 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 7, local health departments have reported 113,454 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 475 deaths statewide.

Vaccine Eligibility Update

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 June 20 to June 26, the average time patients waited for test results was under one day. During this same time period, 88 percent of patients received test results in one day and 97 percent received them within two days.

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)

As of July 5, there have been 567 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.