As California’s COVID-19 case rates have fallen to among the lowest in the country and almost 19 million Californians are fully vaccinated, the state is moving ‘Beyond the Blueprint’ to fully reopen its economy and end many pandemic-era restrictions, announced California Department of Public Health officials. In addition, Los Angeles County Public Health noted the current guidelines vaccinated and unvaccinated County residents are to follow as restrictions relax and the economy reopens.

Today, Public Health confirmed six new deaths and 210 new cases of COVID-19 countywide, with 28,061 total cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.

Of the six new deaths reported today, three people that passed away were over the age of 80, one person who died was between the ages of 50 and 64, and one person who died was between the ages of 30 and 49. One death was reported by the City of Long Beach.

“I know so many of us will forever grieve the family, friends, coworkers, and neighbors we’ve lost. We share in your heartbreak, and we know that the path to recovery will be a very difficult one for so many,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health.

To date, Public Health identified 1,246,619 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 24,416 deaths. There are 218 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 20% of these people are in the ICU. Testing results are available for nearly 6,910,000 individuals with 17% of people testing positive.

Reopening Guidelines for Vaccinated/Unvaccinated County Residents

As of today, June 15, workplaces remain under the current Cal/OSHA standards which continue to require distancing and masking for all employees. The Cal/OSHA standards board may vote on proposed modifications to the current standards on Thursday.

Masks are also required for everyone regardless of vaccination status on public transit and in transportation hubs; indoors in K-12 schools, child care and other youth settings; healthcare settings, including long term care facilities; state and local correctional facilities and detention centers; and homeless shelters, emergency shelters, and cooling centers.

People who are not fully vaccinated, including all children between the ages of 2 and 12, are required to wear masks at all indoor public settings and businesses; this includes retail, restaurants, theatres, family entertainment centers, meetings, and state and local government offices serving the public.

Everyone can remove their masks outdoors, except people who are not fully vaccinated attending large outdoor events – they should stay masked. Additionally, everyone has a right to wear a mask; a person may not be prevented from wearing a mask as a condition of participation/entry into a business.

L.A. County COVID-19 Transmissions Remain Low

At the peak of the pandemic the County was losing 277 residents a day. Hospitals were under enormous strain, with more than 8,000 people hospitalized with COVID-19 and there were more than 15,000 new cases diagnosed each day.

L.A. County is in a better place than any other metro area of similar size in the entire nation, Public Health noted.

“After 16 months of enormous upheaval and loss, we can now move forward with a genuine sense of hope,” said Ferrer. “We can and should feel joy while recognizing and honoring the immense collective effort that brought us to the point where we can fully reopen.”

Each day, on average, only 1.5 cases per 100,000 people are diagnosed in L.A. County, compared with 2.8 cases in the same population in the New York City metro area, 2.9 cases in Chicago, 3.5 cases in Atlanta, 5.3 cases in Houston, and 9.1 cases in Miami. Only 0.4% of COVID-19 tests in L.A. County are positive, compared with 0.8% in New York, 1.3% in Chicago, 1.7% in Atlanta, 3.3% in Houston, and 3.7% in Miami.

Over the past six months, the tremendous effort to get the vaccine into the arms of residents has gotten the County to a place where as of June 11, more than 5,490,637 (66%) of eligible L.A. County residents have received one dose of the vaccine and 4,668,783 (56%) are fully vaccinated.

California Tuesday Snapshot

Today, the state fully reopened and is moving ‘Beyond the Blueprint,’ announced California Department of Public Health officials.

“This is a momentous day for our state, thanks in large part to the efforts of Californians to follow public health guidelines during the pandemic and get vaccinated,” said Dr. Tomás J. Aragón, Director of California’s Department of Public Health and State Public Health Officer. “While disease transmission has dropped significantly, COVID-19 is still present and still deadly, especially for the elderly, immune-compromised and the unvaccinated. We must continue to encourage friends and family to get vaccinated, and keep up efforts to wash our hands frequently, wear a mask where required, and stay home if we get sick.”

Statewide, as of Monday, June 14, CDPH officials confirmed 3,697,927 COVID-19 cases (up 628) with 62,515 deaths from the disease (up 10) since the pandemic began.

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

As of June 14, local health departments have reported 112,139 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 466 deaths statewide.

The 7-day positivity rate is 0.7%.

There have been 67,901,400 tests conducted in California. This represents an increase of 112,248 during the prior 24-hour reporting period.

As of June 15, providers have reported administering a total of 39,789,490 vaccine doses statewide.

The CDC reports that 47,244,480 doses have been delivered to entities within the state.

Numbers do not represent true day-to-day change as reporting may be delayed.

See more California information later in this report.

Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital Tuesday Update

Note: There was no available data for Tuesday, June 15.

As of Friday, June 11, Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital had zero cases pending, a total of 1,244 patients had been treated and discharged since the pandemic began and no additional deceased, hospital spokesman Patrick Moody said.

The last COVID-related death occurred May 21, 2021.

Privacy laws prohibit Henry Mayo from releasing the community of residence for patients who die at the hospital; residence info is reported by the L.A. County Public Health COVID-19 dashboard, which generally lags 48 hours behind.

Santa Clarita Valley Tuesday Update

As of 6 p.m. Monday, the L.A. County Public Health COVID-19 dashboard remains unchanged with 306 deaths among Santa Clarita Valley residents since the pandemic began.

The following is the community breakdown of the 306 SCV residents who have died, according to the L.A. County dashboard:

263 in Santa Clarita

17 in Castaic

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 28,061 confirmed COVID-19 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

* City of Santa Clarita: 20,551

* Castaic: 3,742 (incl. Pitchess Detention Center & North County Correctional Facility*)

* Stevenson Ranch: 1,162

* Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 853

* Acton: 486

* Val Verde: 338

* Agua Dulce: 284

* Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 196

* Saugus (unincorporated portion): 132

* Elizabeth Lake: 82/p>

* Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 69

* Bouquet Canyon: 49

* Lake Hughes: 42

* Saugus/Canyon Country: 40

* Sand Canyon: 17

* 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.

From now through July 4th, Uber and Lyft are offering 4 free rides (up to 25$ each) to and from vaccination sites.

L.A. County Vaccine Update

To stay in this good place with low COVID-19 transmission after reopening, Public Health will continue to get vaccines and high-quality information to people who aren’t yet vaccinated.

“We remain committed to protecting your health and to closing gaps in health outcomes associated with COVID-19,” said Ferrer. “Case counts and transmission are low because of our shared efforts to implement a layered approach to preventing transmission.”

Public Health is partnering with businesses and community-based and faith-based organizations countywide, with mobile vaccination teams making nearly 270 visits each week to the places where people shop, worship, and gather.

Unvaccinated people need to remain very careful and wear masks when they are around people outside their household, and if in close contact with others, including at worksites, they should consider upgrading their masks to a respirator, such as an N95, or a KN95. These masks do a much better job protecting the wearer from other people’s germs.

“As we reopen, we are mindful that for those not yet vaccinated, protection is highly dependent on our continued actions to take care of each other,” said Ferrer. “Sensible protections for our essential workforce will be instrumental in keeping transmission of COVID-19 in check.”

For anyone that gets sick, you need to take the right steps to prevent further spreading the virus. That means getting tested if you have symptoms, staying home and keeping a distance from people in your households, especially unvaccinated people, and working with the County’s contact tracers to help protect others.

The County is transitioning from the four larger capacity vaccination sites to community sites accessible by public transit.

The California State University Northridge site’s last day of operations was Jun 7; vaccinations will continue to be available to nearby residents at the Balboa Sports Complex vaccination site.

If you received your first dose at the California State University Northridge site, you can receive your second dose at the nearby Balboa Sports Complex site.

The Pomona Fairplex, Forum, and LACOE/Downey large capacity vaccination sites closed June 13 with new community sites set to open on Tuesday, June 15 at Ted Watkins Memorial Park in South L.A., the Commerce Senior Citizens Center in the City of Commerce, and the Norwalk Arts and Sports Complex in the City of Norwalk.

Public Health continues to build an extensive network with pharmacies, federally qualified health centers, hospitals, health clinics, and community vaccination sites, including these large-capacity sites:

* Dodger Stadium (operated by the city of Los Angeles)

* College of the Canyons, 26455 Rockwell Canyon Rd, Santa Clarita, CA 91355

* Palmdale Oasis Park Recreation Center, 3850 E Ave S, Palmdale, CA 93550

* California State University, Los Angeles, 5151 State University Drive, Los Angeles 90032 (operated by FEMA)

Vaccination Sweepstakes

Public Health continues to urge unvaccinated people to get vaccinated. Through Thursday, June 17 at County-run vaccination sites, participating LA city and mobile sites, and St. John’s Well Child and Family Center sites, everyone 18 and older coming to get their first vaccine or who brings a first-time vaccine recipient with them to their second dose appointment, will have an opportunity to win a pair of season tickets to the 2021-2022 home season of the Clippers, the Rams, or the Chargers. Official rules and participating site locations are posted online on the Los Angeles County Vaccination Sweepstakes page.

Visit: www.VaccinateLACounty.com (English) and www.VacunateLosAngeles.com (Spanish) to learn how to make an appointment at vaccination sites. 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. Vaccinations are always free and open to eligible residents and workers regardless of immigration status.

L.A. County Public Health’s Reopening Protocols, COVID-19 Surveillance Interactive Dashboard, Roadmap to Recovery, Recovery Dashboard, and additional things you can do to protect yourself, your family and your community are on the Public Health website, www.publichealth.lacounty.gov.

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)

Each week, the California Department of Public Health updates the number of cases of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) reported in the state.

As of June 14, there have been 541 cases of MIS-C have been 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.

Parents should be aware of the signs and symptoms of MIS-C including fever that does not go away, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, neck pain, rash, bloodshot eyes, or feeling tired.

Although very rare, COVID-19 cases among children can sometimes result a few weeks later in very serious illness known as Multi-symptom Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C).

Vaccine Eligibility Update

As of May 13, vaccination appointments for individuals aged 12+ can be made by visiting myturn.ca.gov. The consent of a parent or legal guardian may be needed for those between the ages of 12 and 17 to receive a vaccination. For more information on the vaccine effort, visit Vaccinate All 58.

Tracking COVID-19 in California

* State Dashboard – Daily COVID-19 data

* County Map – Local data

* Data and Tools – Models and dashboards for researchers, scientists, and the public

* 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

California Testing & Turnaround Time

The testing turnaround time dashboardreports how long California patients are waiting for COVID-19 test results.

During the week of May 30 to June 5, the average time patients waited for test results was under one day.

During this same time period, 88% of patients received test results in one day and 97% received them within two days.

Protect Yourself and Your Family: Your Actions Save Lives

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

* Getting vaccinated when it’s your turn. Californians age 16+ are eligible to make an appointment.

* Avoiding non-essential travel, and practicing self-quarantine for 14 days after arrival if you leave the state.

* Keeping interactions limited to people who live in your household.

* Wearing a cloth face mask when out in public.

* Washing hands with soap and water for a minimum of 20 seconds.

* Avoiding touching eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.

* Covering a cough or sneeze with your sleeve or disposable tissue. Wash your hands afterward.

* Avoiding close contact with people who are sick.

* Staying away from work, school, or other people if you become sick with respiratory symptoms like fever and cough.

* Staying home except for essential needs/activities following local and state public health guidelines when patronizing approved businesses. To the extent that sectors are re-opened, Californians may leave their homes to work at, patronize, or otherwise engage with those businesses, establishments or activities.

* Getting tested if you believe you’ve been exposed. Free, confidential testing is available statewide.

* Adding your phone to the fight by signing up for COVID-19 exposure notifications from CA Notify.

* Answering the call if a contact tracer from the CA COVID Team or local health department tries to connect.

* Following guidance from public health officials.

California COVID-19 Data and Tools

A wide range of data and analysis guides California’s response to COVID-19. The state is making the data and its analytical tools available to researchers, scientists and the public at covid19.ca.gov.

* The Statewide COVID-19 Dashboard

* The California COVID-19 Assessment Tool (CalCAT)

* State Cases and Deaths Associated with COVID-19 by Age Group

* COVID-19 Race & Ethnicity Data

* COVID-19 Hospital Data and Case Statistics

* View additional datasets at the California Open Data Portal (including Testing Data, PPE Logistics Data, Hospital Data, Homeless Impact and more)

Consolidated guidance is available on the California Department of Public Health’s Guidance webpage.

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Always check with trusted sources for the latest accurate information about novel coronavirus (COVID-19):

* Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

* California Department of Public Health

* Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

* Spanish

* World Health Organization

* Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 Dashboard

L.A. County residents can also call 2-1-1.

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