The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed Thursday 102 additional deaths and 42,115 new cases of COVID-19 countywide, with 62,566 total cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.

The number of deaths in L.A. County Thursday was the highest number of deaths reported in a single day since March 10, 2021. The number of new deaths has doubled in just one week and 90 percent of the deaths reported today are among residents who became ill with COVID after Dec. 24, indicating the high likelihood of infection with the Omicron variant. As deaths often lag behind surges in cases and hospitalizations, we may see an even higher number of deaths in the coming weeks.

Of the 102 new deaths reported Thursday, two people were between the ages of 18 and 29, three were between the ages of 30 and 49, 20 were between the ages of 50 and 64, 34 were between the ages of 65-79, and 39 were over the age of 80 years old. Of the 102 newly reported deaths, 81 had underlying conditions. Information on the four deaths reported by the city of Long Beach is available at www.LongBeach.gov. To date, the total number of deaths in L.A. County is 28,282.

Public Health has identified a total 2,385,721 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County. Thursday’s positivity rate is 17.6 percent.

There are 4,814 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized. Testing results are available for more than 10,762,700 individuals, with 20 percent of people testing positive.

Throughout the pandemic, Latinx and Black residents have experienced the worst health outcomes for COVID, with the gaps becoming even wider during surges. Currently, Latinx residents have the highest case rate with 3,600 cases per 100,000 people, a 1,900 percent increase compared to one month prior. Black residents have the second highest current case rate with nearly 2,700 cases per 100,000, with a 1,400 percent increase in just one month. Asian residents have seen the steepest percent increase of 2,400 percent, or 2,300 cases per 100,000, while White residents have seen an 1,100 percent increase over the past month at 2,100 cases per 100,000.

Hospitalizations show a similar pattern, as Black and Latinx residents are hospitalized at higher rates than White and Asian residents. For the two-week period through January 8th, the hospitalization rate for Black residents was 47 per 100,000 people. For Latinx residents it was 29 hospitalizations per 100,000 people, for White residents 17 per 100,000 and for Asian residents 8 per 100,000, with the gap between Black residents and Asian residents nearly six-fold.

When comparing death rates across races/ethnicities, a similar gap is noted. The rate of deaths for Black residents is 3.5 deaths per 100,000 people and 3 deaths per 100,000 for Latinx residents. This is compared to the lower death rate for White residents at 2.5 deaths per 100,000 residents and Asian residents at 1 death per 100,000 residents. Given that deaths lag hospitalizations by several weeks, we may see increases across all race and ethnicity groups, along with a further widening of these gaps, in the weeks to come.

“To everyone devastated by the loss of someone they love from COVID, please know that I join with others in sending my thoughts and prayers for healing and peace, “,” said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “The higher rates of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths among Black and Latinx residents is a tragedy that reflects both long standing inequities to the resources that promote good health and policies and practices that marginalize the concerns of people of color. The resulting distressing lack of confidence in the COVID vaccines among some residents in the hardest communities, contributes to the widening gaps in health outcomes we are seeing again during this surge. Closing these gaps needs to remain a shared priority in order to protect entire communities and end the pandemic.”

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 reported Thursday zero tests pending, 98 patients in the hospital, and a total of 1,905 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 5:00 p.m. Thursday, the L.A. County Public Health dashboard reported one additional death in Castaic and one additional death in unincorporated Canyon Country, bringing the total of COVID-19 deaths since the onset of the pandemic to 385.

The following is the community breakdown of the 385 SCV residents who have died, according to the L.A. County dashboard:

Santa Clarita: 316

Castaic: 24

Acton: 14

Stevenson Ranch: 9

Unincorporated Canyon Country: 8

Agua Dulce: 5

Val Verde: 3

Valencia: 2

Unincorporated Bouquet Canyon: 1

Elizabeth Lake: 1

Newhall: 1

unincorporated Saugus/Canyon Country: 1

Lake Hughes: 0 (**revised from 1)

SCV Cases

Of the 62,566 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

Santa Clarita: 46,508

Castaic: 6,335

Stevenson Ranch: 3,407

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 2,186

Acton: 1,247

Val Verde: 707

Agua Dulce: 668

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 580

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 280

Elizabeth Lake: 171

Bouquet Canyon: 127

Lake Hughes: 117

Saugus/Canyon Country: 79

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 74

Sand Canyon: 37

San Francisquito/Bouquet Canyon: 31

Placerita Canyon: 12

*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

– 68,065,502 total vaccines administered.

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

– 152,502 people a day are receiving COVID-19 vaccination (average daily dose count over 7 days).

Cases

– California has 6,997,710 confirmed cases to date.

– Thursday’s average case count is 108,279 (average daily case count over 7 days).

Testing

– The testing positivity rate is 20.7 percent (average rate over 7 days).

Hospitalizations

– There are 15,393 hospitalizations statewide.

– There are 2,467 ICU patients statewide.

– Unvaccinated people were 6.0 times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 (data from December 27, 2021 to January 2, 2022).

Deaths

– There have been 77,521 COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

– COVID-19 claims the lives of 43 Californians each day (average daily death count over 7 days).

– Unvaccinated people were 17.8 times more likely to die from COVID-19 (data from Dec. 20, 2021 to Dec. 26, 2021).

Health Care Workers

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. 2 to Jan. 8, the average time patients waited for test results was 1.5 days. During this same time period, 57 percent of patients received test results in one day and 81 percent received them within two days.

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)

As of Jan. 17, there have been 783 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.