The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed Thursday 67 additional deaths and 3,312 new cases of COVID-19 countywide, with 68 new cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.

This new data brings Los Angeles County death totals to 30,146, county case totals to 2,772,569 and Santa Clarita Valley case totals to 71,231 since March of 2020.

Of the 67 new deaths reported Thursday, one person was between the ages of 30-49, six were between the ages of 50-64, 26 were between the ages of 65-79, and 25 were aged 80 years or older. Of the 67 newly reported deaths, 49 had underlying health conditions. Information on the five deaths reported by the city of Long Beach and four reported by the city of Pasadena is available at www.LongBeach.gov and www.CityofPasadena.net.

Public Health has reported a total of 2,772,569 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County. Thursday’s positivity rate is 2.9%.

There are 1,713 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized. Testing results are available for more than 11,316,500 individuals, with 22% of people testing positive.

With the winter surge subsiding, Public Health reminds residents that vaccinations and masking remain important effective layers of protection, especially in school settings and crowded spaces.

As of Feb. 10, 34% of 5-11-year-olds and 84% of 12–17-year-olds had received at least one dose of the COVID vaccine and 26% of 5–11-year-olds and 76% 12–17-year-olds were fully vaccinated.

Unvaccinated Children More Likely to Be Infected

Unvaccinated children ages 5-11, were 2.5 times more likely to be infected when compared to those who were fully vaccinated. For those ages 12-17, vaccinated teens were almost 3 times less likely to be infected when compared to those who were unvaccinated.

Similarly, hospitalizations were also higher for unvaccinated children in both youth age groups 5-11 and 12-17. Unvaccinated children 5-11 were at three times higher risk of hospitalization when compared to fully vaccinated children. And unvaccinated teens 12-17 were four times more likely to be hospitalized than fully vaccinated teens.

Between Feb. 7 and 11, nearly 477,000 tests were administered at TK-12 schools across the county; test positivity declined by 90% since the beginning of January to 1.5%. This remarkable decline likely reflects lower rates of community transmission as well as the impact of mitigation strategies that schools are using to reduce transmission.

When looking at the number of COVID-19 cases among students and staff in K-12 schools by grade level, the largest number of cases have been among elementary school students, followed by high school and then middle school students. The week of Jan. 10-16, there were over 21,000 cases reported among elementary school students, over 11,000 reported among high school students, and 9,200 among middle school students. By the week of Feb. 7-13, cases had dropped to 1,650 for elementary school students, 810 for high school students, and 648 for middle school students.

The number of school outbreaks currently being investigated also declined to a total of 46, down from 56 that were under investigation last week. This includes eight new outbreaks (5 in elementary schools, one in middle school, and two in youth sports) between Feb. 6-12.

The decision to require masks in schools, along with the other mitigation safety measures likely helped to successfully limit the number of school disruptions in L.A. County during the Omicron surge. Public Health is aware of only eight learning disruptions across L.A. County at the district level in 2022. Three school districts had selected school closures and the others had a delayed opening or non-instructional day. In each case, the school or district, not Public Health, made the decision to take this action based on staffing and safety concerns.

“I send my deepest sympathies and wishes of peace and comfort to the many families who have lost a loved one due to COVID-19,” said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “Indoor masking requirements at schools, which remain in effect per the state order for at least another few weeks, continue to be an effective part of a comprehensive school safety program. As we have seen over the past few months, wearing a face mask or respirator in indoor public settings is associated with significantly lower chances of testing positive for COVID-19, and masking requirements in schools have been associated with lower numbers of outbreaks. As we think about ‘post-surge’ strategies, the focus remains on ensuring our schools have the tools and resources to offer safe learning environments for staff, teachers, and students. As always, we are grateful for the hard work of parents, students, administrators, staff, and teachers to diligently implement mitigation strategies that promote safety at schools.”

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, 14 patients in the hospital, and a total of 2,151 patients who have been treated and discharged since the pandemic began and no additional deceased, 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.

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 5:30 p.m. Thursday, the L.A. County Public Health dashboard reported four additional deaths from COVID-19 in the city of Santa Clarita, bringing the total number of deaths from COVID-19 in the SCV to 426.

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

Santa Clarita: 350

Castaic: 27

Acton: 15

Unincorporated Canyon Country: 9 (revised from 10)

Stevenson Ranch: 10

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 71,231 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

Santa Clarita: 52,945

Castaic: 7,014

Stevenson Ranch: 3,930

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 2,539

Acton: 1,488

Val Verde: 819

Agua Dulce: 770

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 660

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 303

Elizabeth Lake: 200

Bouquet Canyon: 147

Lake Hughes: 144

Saugus/Canyon Country: 89

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 87

Sand Canyon: 47

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

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

– 70,926,254 total vaccines administered.

– 82.7% of the eligible population (5+) has been vaccinated with at least one dose.

– 60,593 people a day are receiving COVID-19 vaccination (average daily dose count over 7 days).

Cases

– California has 8,283,568 confirmed cases to date.

– Monday’s average case count is 18,609 (average daily case count over 7 days).

– Unvaccinated people are 5.6 times more likely to get COVID-19 than boosted individuals (Jan. 24, 2022 – Jan. 30, 2022).

Testing

– The testing positivity rate is 5.7% (average rate over 7 days).

Hospitalizations

– There are 7,271 hospitalizations statewide.

– There are 1,438 ICU patients statewide.

– Unvaccinated people are 11.7 times more likely to be hospitalized than boosted individuals (Jan. 24, 2022 – Jan. 30, 2022).

Deaths

– There have been 82,589 COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

– COVID-19 claims the lives of 169 Californians each day (average daily death count over 7 days).

– Unvaccinated people are 17.0 times more likely to die than boosted individuals (Jan. 17, 2022 – Jan. 23, 2022).

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. 30 to Feb. 5, the average time patients waited for test results was 0.9 days. During this same time period, 85% of patients received test results in one day and 96% received them within two days.

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)

As of Feb. 14, there have been 817 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.