The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed Thursday 16 additional deaths, 784 new positive cases countywide, with 26 new cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.

This new data brings Los Angeles County death totals to 31,669, county case totals to 2,833,206 and Santa Clarita Valley case totals to 72,287 since March of 2020.

Of the 16 new deaths reported Thursday, one person was between the ages of 30-49, four were between the ages of 65-79, and eight were aged 80 years or older. Of the16 newly reported deaths, 11 people had underlying health conditions. Information on the three deaths reported by the city of Pasadena is available at www.CityofPasadena.net.

Note that 127 additional cases have been added to the cumulative total of positive cases due to a backlog of cases from the surge. Thursday’s positivity rate is 1.1%.

There are 308 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized. Testing results are available for more than 11,689,300 individuals, with 22% of people testing positive.

L.A. County Sees Increase in Highly Infectiouse BA.2 Subvariant

As the highly infectious BA.2 subvariant increases in LA County and other parts of the world, residents should continue to follow all safety protections, especially residents and workers at elevated risk of severe illness.

For the latest measurement period, the week ending March 12, 32% of all sequenced specimens in LA County were identified as the BA.2 subvariant, double the percentage identified for the week prior ending March 5.

Increases in L.A. County reflect patterns seen around the world, with the World Health Organization announcing last week that worldwide, BA.2 accounted for 86% of sequenced cases from the prior 4 weeks. And on Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that BA.2 is now the dominant variant in the U.S., accounting for approximately 55% of sequenced cases for the week ending March 26.

While there are not yet increases in cases or hospitalizations in L.A. County, given the increased risk for spread of BA.2, it’s important to take steps to maximize protection against spread, including increasing vaccination and booster rates for residents, as these gaps in vaccination coverage create significant risk.

As of March 27, 83% of L.A. County residents ages five and older had received at least one dose of the COVID vaccine and 75% were fully vaccinated. Additionally, 57% of eligible residents ages 12 and older received the additional protection of a booster. This leaves about 2.6 million booster-dose eligible residents not benefiting from the extra protection of a booster dose and 1.7 million eligible residents needing to get their first vaccination.

If residents cannot be vaccinated due to medical reasons or because their body can’t mount an appropriate immune response to vaccines, they may still be able to be protected with COVID therapeutics. Residents should ask their provider if they’re eligible to receive Evusheld, a new therapeutic for people 12 years and older that can prevent COVID-19. There are also several therapeutics available that can reduce severe illness for people who have been infected with COVID-19. If residents test positive, they should check immediately with their provider whether they are eligible to receive one of these treatments. Residents who don’t have a doctor can call the COVID-19 information line at 833-540-0473, 8 a.m. – 8:30 p.m. daily for more information. Note that the monoclonal antibody medicine Sotrovimab is no longer authorized for use in California due to studies showing less efficacy against BA.2.

Residents can also stock up on the over-the-counter COVID test kits that they can administer themselves at home. Up to two sets of four at home tests can be ordered at no charge from the federal government at www.covidtests.gov. Residents who have health insurance can receive eight free at home tests each month for each insured member in their household. Individuals can also get tested at one of the many free testing sites located throughout the County. Visit www.ph.lacounty.gov/covidtests for information and links to testing sites. Individuals should get tested if they feel sick, have an exposure, or are gathering with others at elevated risk.

Individuals should also continue to wear a mask indoors in public places, especially if they, or others they will be in contact with, are not fully vaccinated, elderly, immunocompromised, or have serious underlying health conditions. Masking is one of the easiest and most effective strategies for protecting ourselves and others from COVID-19.

“We continue to extend our deepest sympathies to everyone mourning the loss of a loved one from COVID,” said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “We’re about two months out from the peak of our winter surge and have seen significant declines in our cases, hospitalizations, and deaths. However, with case numbers no longer decreasing and increases in the circulation of the more infectious BA.2 subvariant in LA County, now is the time for us to use the tools at hand to decrease both personal and community risk: vaccination, testing, masking and therapeutics. In a similar way that we take steps to be prepared for fires and earthquakes, we now also need to take preparedness actions that allow us to be safe during a pandemic. And just like we don’t wait until there is a fire or an earthquake to make a plan, we don’t need to wait until we are experiencing another surge, to increase our protection. Get vaccinated and boosted, have a supply of test kits, talk to your provider about eligibility for new therapeutics, and wear a well-fitting, high filtration mask in places where the risk for transmission is elevated.”

A wide range of data and dashboards on COVID-19 from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health are available on the Public Health website at http://www.publichealth.lacounty.gov.

To keep workplaces and schools open, residents and workers are asked to:

– Get tested to help reduce the spread, especially if you traveled for the holidays, have had a possible exposure, or have symptoms, or are gathering with people not in your household

– Adhere to masking requirements when indoors or at crowded outdoor spaces, regardless of vaccination status

– Residents are legally required to be isolated if they have a positive COVID test result and vaccinated close contacts with symptoms and unvaccinated close contacts need to be quarantined.

For information on where you can get tested, please visit www.covid19.lacounty.gov/testing/.

For updated isolation and quarantine guidance, please visit www.publichealth.lacounty.gov.

COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective and are recommended for everyone 5 years old and older to help protect against COVID-19. Vaccinations are always free and open to eligible residents and workers regardless of immigration status. Appointments are not needed at all Public Health vaccination sites and many community sites where first, second, and third doses are available.

To find a vaccination site near you, or to make an appointment, please visit:

www.VaccinateLACounty.com (English) or

www.VacunateLosAngeles.com (Spanish).

Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital

Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital currently has zero tests pending, zero patients in the hospital, a total of 2,222 patients who have been treated and discharged since the pandemic began, with no additional deaths, spokesman Michael Crawford confirmed.

The hospital has had 47,358 tests to date and 229 COVID-19 positive expired to date.

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.

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,

Student Dashboard

Staff Dashboard

Santa Clarita Valley Thursday Update
As of 4:30 p.m. Thursday, the L.A. County Public Health dashboard reported eight additional deaths from COVID-19 in the Santa Clarita Valley, bringing the total in the SCV since the onset of the pandemic to 462.

The following is the community breakdown per L.A. County’s dashboard:

Santa Clarita: 377

Castaic: 28

Acton: 17

Stevenson Ranch: 15

Unincorporated Canyon Country: 9 (revised from 10)

Agua Dulce: 6

Val Verde: 3 (revised from 4)

Valencia: 2

Unincorporated Bouquet Canyon: 2

Elizabeth Lake: 1

Newhall: 1

unincorporated Saugus/Canyon Country: 1

Lake Hughes: 0 (**revised from 1)

SCV Cases

Of the 72,287 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

Santa Clarita: 53,713

Castaic: 7,098

Stevenson Ranch: 4,013

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 2,586

Acton: 1,513

Val Verde: 831

Agua Dulce: 779

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 671

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 310

Elizabeth Lake: 204

Bouquet Canyon: 149

Lake Hughes: 147

Saugus/Canyon Country: 89

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 87

Sand Canyon: 48

San Francisquito/Bouquet Canyon: 34

Placerita Canyon: 15

*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.

California Thursday

Note: Data from California was not available as of deadline Thursday. However, here are the numbers as of Wednesday.

Statewide COVID-19 Data

Vaccinations

– 72,725,111 total vaccines administered.

– 83.8% of the eligible population (5+) has been vaccinated with at least one dose.

– 24,967 people a day are receiving COVID-19 vaccination (average daily dose count over 7 days).

Cases

– California has 8,487,070 confirmed cases to date.

– Wednesday’s average case count is 1,959  (average daily case count over 7 days).

– Unvaccinated people are 4. times more likely to get COVID-19 than boosted individuals (March 7 2022 – March 13, 2022).

Testing

– The testing positivity rate is 1.3% (average rate over 7 days).

Hospitalizations

– There are 1,391 hospitalizations statewide.

– There are 246 ICU patients statewide.

– Unvaccinated people are 8.0 times more likely to be hospitalized than boosted individuals (March 7 2022 – March 13, 2022).

Deaths

– There have been 88,043 COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

– COVID-19 claims the lives of 48 Californians each day (average daily death count over 7 days).

– Unvaccinated people are 11.0 times more likely to die than boosted individuals (Feb. 28, 2022 – March 6, 2022).

Health Care Workers

Note: As of March 17, local health departments have reported 152,773 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 574 deaths statewide.

Testing Turnaround Time

The testing turnaround time dashboard reports how long California patients are waiting for COVID-19 test results. During the week of March 13 to March 19, the average time patients waited for test results was 0.8 day. During this same time period, 91% of patients received test results in one day and 97% received them within two days.

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)

As of March 28, there have been 910 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.

Additional Updates

Mask Guidance: Under California’s mask guidance, universal masking is required only in specified higher risk settings like hospitals, public transit and congregate living facilities. Unvaccinated persons are required to mask in all indoor public settings. Fully vaccinated individuals are recommended to continue indoor masking when the risk may be high. Workplaces will continue to follow the COVID-19 prevention standards set by CalOSHA. Local health jurisdictions may implement requirements that are stricter than state guidance.

Slow the Spread: Get Vaccinated and Boosted for COVID-19

The risk for COVID-19 exposure and infection continues as a number of Californians remain unvaccinated and unboosted.

Real-world evidence continues to show that the vaccine is preventing severe illness, hospitalization, and death. Public health officials urge Californians to get vaccinated and boosted as soon as possible.

It is recommended that every vaccinated person 12 years or older should get a booster as long as they received their second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine at least five months ago or they received their Johnson & Johnson vaccine at least two months ago.

Vaccination appointments can be made by visiting myturn.ca.gov or calling 1-833-422-4255. The consent of a parent or legal guardian may be needed for those under age 18 to receive a vaccination. Visit Vaccinate All 58 to learn more about the safe and effective vaccines available for all Californians 5+.

Your Actions Save Lives

Protect yourself, family, friends and your community by following these prevention measures:

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.