Los Angeles County Public Health officials on Tuesday confirmed 35 new deaths and 964 new cases of COVID-19 countywide, with 36,108 total cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.

Los Angeles County continues to see a downward trend in cases, hospitalizations, and deaths.

On Sept. 27, the County’s 7-day daily case average was 1,050 new cases – a decrease of more than 57% from a month earlier. Over the same period, hospitalizations and deaths both declined by 45%. And while the declines are promising, the County continues to see, on average, 14 deaths a day, a particular tragedy because so many of them could have been prevented by vaccination.

Of the 35 new deaths reported today, six people who passed away were over the age of 80, 10 people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79, 12 people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64, five people who died were between the ages of 30 and 49, and one person who died was between the ages of 18 to 29.

“We grieve alongside everyone who has suffered the loss of friends and families during this difficult time. Our prayers and hearts are with you,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health.

One death was reported by the City of Pasadena. To date, Public Health identified 1,464,793 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 26,195 deaths.

There are 768 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 30% of these people are in the ICU. This is a decrease of 122 daily hospitalizations over the past week.

Testing results are available for nearly 8,704,000 individuals with 16% of people testing positive. Today’s test positivity rate is 0.9%, a slight decrease from last week’s same day rate of 1.2%

Cases in Schools

The slowing of community transmission is also reflected in the number of new cases at schools. The overall case numbers in schools continue to decrease across the entire county. There were only 559 student cases the week of Sept. 26 through Oct. 1, while staff cases decreased to 82 over the same period. This is a 54% decrease from the prior week for students, and a 51% decrease for staff.

Most K-12 cases are not associated with outbreaks, but when three or more cases are linked at a school or school-based activity, they are considered to be part of an outbreak, and are met with additional resources dedicated to investigating and stopping transmission among students, staff, and communities. The number of school outbreaks also decreased by more than half between the prior week and last week, from 12 outbreaks the week ending Sept. 26 to five outbreaks the week ending Oct. 2. This past week, there was one outbreak in youth sports, and two outbreaks each in elementary and middle schools.

With more than 3,000 schools now open county-wide, these are astonishingly low numbers, and this is possible only because of the hard work of our school community members: staff, students, and families.

Santa Clarita Valley Tuesday Update

As of 6 p.m. Monday, the L.A. County Public Health COVID-19 dashboard confirmed a total of 340 COVID-19 related deaths in the SCV since the pandemic began.

The following is the community breakdown of the 340 SCV residents who have died, according to the L.A. County dashboard:

286 in Santa Clarita

20 in Castaic

9 in Acton (**revised from 10)

8 in Stevenson Ranch

6 in unincorporated Canyon Country

3 in Agua Dulce

3 in Val Verde

1 in unincorporated Bouquet Canyon

1 in Elizabeth Lake

1 in Newhall

1 in unincorporated Saugus/Canyon Country

1 in Valencia

0 in Lake Hughes (**revised from 1)

Cases:

Of the 36,108 confirmed COVID-19 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 26,532

Castaic: 4,399 (incl. Pitchess Detention Center & North County Correctional Facility*)

Stevenson Ranch: 1,665

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 1,135/p>

Acton: 743

Val Verde: 420

Agua Dulce: 395

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 269/p>

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 161

Elizabeth Lake: 110

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 69 (**revised from 70)

Bouquet Canyon: 63

Saugus/Canyon Country: 48

Lake Hughes: 54 (**revised from 55)

Sand Canyon: 22

San Francisquito/Bouquet Canyon: 19

Placerita Canyon: 4

*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.

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:

Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital Tuesday Update

Officials from Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital reported zero tests pending, 18 patients in the hospital, and a total of 1,543 patients who have been treated and discharged since the pandemic began, hospital spokesman Patrick Moody confirmed.

The total number of COVID-19 deaths since the onset of the pandemic is currently 173.

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.

California Tuesday Snapshot

California Department of Public Health confirmed Tuesday 4,519,467 cases and 69,027 deaths to date.

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

There were 3,752 newly reported confirmed cases Monday. Data on cases, deaths, and testing is not reported on weekends or state holidays.

As of Oct. 4, local health departments have reported 125,613 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 507 deaths statewide.

Cases are increasing statewide, largely among unvaccinated populations:

– For the week of September 19 – September 25, the average case rate among unvaccinated Californians age 16 or older is 57.41 per 100,000 per day and the average case rate among vaccinated Californians age 16 or older is significantly lower at 7.12 per 100,000 per day.

– The great majority of new cases are among unvaccinated individuals. The rate among the unvaccinated is 8 times the rate among the vaccinated.

The 7-day positivity rate is 2.5%.

There have been 94,221,400 tests conducted in California. This represents an increase of 240,120 during the prior 24-hour reporting period.

As of Oct. 5, according to the CDC, 84.5% of eligible Californians have received at least one dose. Providers have reported to CDPH that a total of 49,970,814 vaccine doses have been administered statewide.

Numbers do not represent true day-to-day change as reporting may be delayed. For more vaccination data, visit the COVID-19 Vaccine Data Dashboard.

See more California information later in this report.

L.A. County Vaccine Information

Multiple vaccination verification requirements now affect L.A. County residents and workers. As of Sept. 20, proof of vaccination status or a negative test result at indoor events in L.A. County with more than 1,000 attendees is required. Sept. 30 was the deadline for healthcare and homecare workers across L.A. County to be fully vaccinated, while L.A. County employees had until October 1 and L.A. City employees have until today, October 5.

On Oct. 7, proof of full vaccination or a negative test result will be required to enter outdoor mega events, and proof of at least one dose of the vaccine will be required to enter or work in indoor portions of bars, lounges, nightclubs, breweries, wineries, and distilleries in L.A. County. On Nov. 4, bars and similar establishments throughout L.A. County will be required to verify full vaccination of all patrons and employees prior to entry to indoor portions of their establishments. To help businesses through all stages of implementation, which includes an overview of vaccination and testing requirements, Public Health created toolkits that are available online, at: http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus/business-verification.htm.

Under a state order, K-12 school staff across the county are required to be vaccinated by October 15 or test weekly. LAUSD students participating in extracurricular activities must be fully vaccinated by Oct. 31, and Culver City students are required to be vaccinated by Nov. 19. All LAUSD students 12 and over must be fully vaccinated by Dec. 19. Last week, Governor Newsom announced the state’s plan to require COVID-19 vaccination of all students and staff at private and public schools statewide as a condition of in-person attendance. The requirement will be effective for each student beginning the term following full FDA approval of the vaccine for their grade span, beginning with students in grades 7 through 12, followed by students in grades K through 6. Depending on the timing of approvals, this likely means the requirement will go into effect beginning either Jan. 1 or July 1 of 2022. There are also federal requirements, including President Biden’s executive order requiring federal workers to be fully vaccinated by Nov. 22.

Helping organizations and businesses comply with targeted vaccination requirements over the next few months will be a focus for Public Health teams. Over the course of the pandemic, the County has seen high rates of compliance with other safety measures, and we anticipate similar cooperation as we work together to add the additional powerful protection of vaccinations for workers, customers, students, and families.

Vaccinations are always free and open to eligible residents and workers regardless of immigration status.
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 Oct. 4, there have been 629 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

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 Sept. 19 to Sept. 25, the average time patients waited for test results was 1.2 days. During this same time period, 76% of patients received test results in one day and 89% 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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