Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital reported two additional deaths from COVID-19 Thursday, bringing the total number to 208 since the onset of the pandemic, confirmed spokesman Patrick Moody.

Currently, the hospital has zero tests pending, 68 patients in the hospital, and a total of 2,005 patients who have been treated and discharged since the pandemic began.

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.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed Thursday 85 additional deaths and 26,010 new cases of COVID-19 countywide, with 67,077 total cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.

Of the 85 new deaths reported Thursday, seven of the people who died were between the ages of 30 and 49, eight people were between the ages of 50 and 64, 25 were between the ages of 65-79, and 42 were over the age of 80 years old. Of the 85 newly reported deaths, 72 had underlying conditions. Information on the two deaths reported by the city of Long Beach and the one death reported by the city of Pasadena is available at www.longbeach.gov and www.CityofPasadena.net.

To date, the total number of deaths in L.A. County is 28,715.

Public Health has identified a total 2,586,739 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County. Thursday’s positivity rate is 12.7%.

There are 4,323 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized. Testing results are available for more than 10,979,500 individuals, with 21% of people testing positive.

Los Angeles County Hospitalizations Continue to Decline; Indicates Possible Peak of Omicron Transmission

Along with several other COVID-19 metrics, hospitalizations are also declining with 4,323 people currently hospitalized, representing a decline from the peak of 4,800 patients last week. The seven-day average of new admissions of people with COVID-19 also decreased by 10%, from 614 patients one week ago to 552 admissions today. Further, only a portion of COVID cases are requiring critical care. As of Thursday, 17% of COVID positive hospitalized patients are currently in the ICU, and 12% of COVID positive hospitalized patients are currently on ventilators.

Data is also showing the spread of Omicron has had a disproportionate effect among certain residents over the past two months, with the risk of hospitalization significantly lower for people who are fully vaccinated and boosted. Through January 15th, fully vaccinated and boosted individuals were 28 times less likely to be admitted to the ICU for COVID-19 than those unvaccinated, showing that vaccines continue to provide the best protection against severe illness.

Nonetheless, the county’s healthcare system remains under strain due to more healthcare workers testing positive, which is contributing to the shortage of healthcare workers across the county. For the week of January 14th, there were 1,559 new healthcare worker positive cases, representing a nearly 18% increase compared to the 1,326 cases from the week prior.

“I send my heartfelt condolences to those families who have lost a loved one to COVID-19,” said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “While these declines give us cause for much welcomed hope, we should not take them as a sign to forgo the commonsense protective measures that helped to slow COVID-19 transmission in our county. Continuing these safety measures will drive down cases, which will ultimately end staffing shortages, reduce workplace and school outbreaks, and most importantly, keep residents from becoming seriously ill and dying.”

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).

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

Santa Clarita Valley Thursday Update
As of 5:00 p.m. Thursday, the L.A. County Public Health dashboard reports four additional deaths from COVID-19 in the Santa Clarita Valley: two new deaths in the city of Santa Clarita, one new death in Castaic, and one additional death in Acton. The total number of COVID-19 deaths to date in the SCV is 393.

The following is the community breakdown of the 393 SCV residents who have died, according to the L.A. County dashboard:

Santa Clarita: 319

Castaic: 26

Acton: 15

Stevenson Ranch: 9

Unincorporated Canyon Country: 9

Agua Dulce: 5

Val Verde: 3

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 67,077 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

Santa Clarita: 49,889

Castaic: 6,670

Stevenson Ranch: 3,673

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 2,368

Acton: 1,364

Val Verde: 766

Agua Dulce: 725

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 626

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 289

Elizabeth Lake: 184

Bouquet Canyon: 138

Lake Hughes: 132

Saugus/Canyon Country: 84

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 81

Sand Canyon: 42

San Francisquito/Bouquet Canyon: 32

Placerita Canyon: 14

*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

Statewide COVID-19 Data

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

Vaccinations

– 69,018,341 total vaccines administered.

– 81.7% of the eligible population (5+) has been vaccinated with at least one dose.

– 126,401 people a day are receiving COVID-19 vaccination (average daily dose count over 7 days).

Cases

– California has 7,629,666 confirmed cases to date.

– Thursday’s average case count is 86,021 (average daily case count over 7 days).

– Unvaccinated people are 8 times more likely to get COVID-19 than boosted individuals (week of Jan. 16).

Testing

– The testing positivity rate is 18.8% (average rate over 7 days).

Hospitalizations

– There are 15,015 hospitalizations statewide.

– There are 2,577 ICU patients statewide.

– Unvaccinated people are 13 times more likely to be hospitalized than boosted individuals (week of Jan. 9).

Deaths

– There have been 78,571 COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

– COVID-19 claims the lives of 58 Californians each day (average daily death count over 7 days).

– Unvaccinated people are 22 times more likely to die than boosted individuals (week of Jan. 2).

Health Care Workers

Note: There has been no update of positive cases among health care workers since Jan. 6. As of Jan. 6, local health departments have reported 136,816 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 540 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 Jan.9 to Jan. 15, the average time patients waited for test results was 1.9 days. During this same time period, 51 percent of patients received test results in one day and 68 percent received them within two days.

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)

As of Jan. 24, there have been 790 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.