The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed Tuesday 186 new deaths and 7,902 new cases of confirmed COVID-19, with 22,102 total cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.

The number of new cases and deaths reported Tuesday reflects a reporting lag from over the weekend and Monday’s holiday.

To date, Public Health has identified 1,031,874 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 14,122 deaths.

Los Angeles County Large-Scale Vaccination Sites Open; Vaccine Eligibility Opens to County Residents Aged 65 Years and Older
Public Health continues ramping up capacity to complete vaccinations for eligible priority groups identified by the CDC with more specific guidance provided by the State. This includes the launch of five new large-scale vaccination sites that began operation today and adding several more pharmacies and health care clinics. Vaccinations are currently available by appointment for those in phase 1A and county residents aged 65 years and older.

The vaccine supply is still extremely limited, and Public Health urges patience as we work urgently with our federal and state partners to expand capacity and supply in the weeks ahead.

The five sites, which were chosen for their regional accessibility and their ability to handle large capacities of people, are:

– Six Flags Magic Mountain, 26101 Magic Mountain Pkwy, Valencia, CA 91355

– California State University, Northridge, 18111 Nordhoff St, Northridge, CA 91330

– Pomona Fairplex, 1101 W McKinley Ave, Pomona, CA 91768

– The Forum, 3900 W Manchester Blvd, Inglewood, CA 90305

– L.A. County Office of Education, 12830 Columbia Way, Downey, CA 90242

These large-scale vaccination sites will be able to vaccinate approximately 4,000 people per day at each site, significantly increasing the number of frontline healthcare workers vaccinated. Vaccinations are free, and available to all who are currently eligible, regardless of immigration status or insurance coverage. For those who have insurance, coverage information may be requested as part of the appointment scheduling process.

Additionally, Los Angeles County residents who are 65 years old and older are now eligible for COVID-19 vaccination. Residents in this high-priority age group may receive a communication from their health care provider with information about COVID-19 vaccinations and how to receive one. They can also visit VaccinateLACounty.com to schedule an appointment for vaccination. For those without access to a computer or the internet, a call center will be open to help schedule appointments at 833-540-0473, daily from 8:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Individuals are encouraged to use the website whenever possible to sign up for an appointment to avoid long wait times on the phone.

Public Health will host a COVID-19 Vaccine Virtual Town Hall tonight, January 19, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Join the town hall to learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine, how it was developed, where it will be distributed in our communities, and when it will be made available to the general public. The town hall will be streamed live on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube @lapublichealth. For more information and to submit a question, visit: http://tinyurl.com/askcovidtownhall.

As of Tuesday, more than 348,000 vaccinations have been administered. More than 271,000 first doses and more than 77,000 second doses have been administered. For the amount of vaccine currently in hand in Los Angeles County, Public Health has used 58 percent of the first doses and about 35 percent of the doses designated for 2nd doses. This is better than the national average.

Public Health is pleased to report 335 of 340 (nearly 99%) of all skilled nursing facilities in the County received and administered their first doses of COVID-19 vaccine. Nearly 39,000 doses have been administered to staff and residents. The remaining facilities are currently vaccinating or are scheduling vaccinations this week. Additionally, for facilities that completed their first doses, Public Health is supporting distribution and administration of their second doses of vaccine.

California Tuesday Snapshot
Statewide, the California Department of Public Health confirmed a total of 2,996,968 cases, with 33,739 deaths from the disease. There are 20,062 confirmed hospitalizations and 4,693 ICU hospitalizations in California.

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

There were 23,794 newly recorded confirmed cases Monday.

The 7-day positivity rate is 9.9% and the 14-day positivity rate is 11.6%.

There have been 39,024,543 tests conducted in California. This represents an increase of 368,787 during the prior 24-hour reporting period.

As case numbers continue to rise in California, the total number of individuals who will have serious outcomes will also increase.

As of Jan. 18, providers have reported administering a total of 1,454,626 vaccine doses statewide. Numbers do not represent true day-to-day change as reporting may be delayed. As of January 18, a total of 3,226,775 vaccine doses, which includes the first and second dose, have been shipped to local health departments and health care systems that have facilities in multiple counties.

Health Care Worker Infection Rates
As of Jan. 18, local health departments have reported 80,449 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 305 deaths statewide.

Santa Clarita Valley Tuesday Update
As of 5:20 p.m. Tuesday, the L.A. County Public Health dashboard, recorded 159 deaths among Santa Clarita Valley residents since the pandemic began, but had not yet included the most recent deaths reported by Henry Mayo.

Of the 165 SCV residents who have died, 136 lived in Santa Clarita, 8 in Castaic, 5 in Acton, 4 in Stevenson Ranch, 3 in unincorporated Canyon Country, 1 in Agua Dulce, 1 in unincorporated Bouquet Canyon, 1 in Val Verde, and 6 in communities not yet named.

Of the 22,102 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 15,994

Castaic: 3,297 (includes Pitchess Detention Center and North County Correctional Facility*)

Stevenson Ranch: 864

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 643

Acton: 369

Val Verde: 245

Agua Dulce: 190

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 143

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 109

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 59

Elizabeth Lake: 66

Lake Hughes: 34

Bouquet Canyon: 38

Saugus/Canyon Country: 26

Sand Canyon: 13

San Francisquito/Bouquet 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.

Henry Mayo Tuesday Update
Note: There was no data available as of deadline Tuesday from Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital
The 7 additional fatalities from Friday, Saturday, and Sunday Henry Mayo reported Monday bring the hospital’s COVID-19 death toll to 103 patients since the pandemic began, according to spokesman Patrick Moody.

In November, 8 COVID-19 patients died at Henry Mayo. In December, four times that many people — 34 — died at the hospital, Moody said, an average of more than one death per day.

In 2021, as of Jan. 17, the hospital has already reported 31 patient deaths, now averaging nearly two per day.

As of Monday, 90 patients were hospitalized in dedicated COVID-19 units receiving ICU-level care (eight fewer than Friday), and a total of 893 COVID-19 patients have been treated and discharged so far, Moody said.

Discrepancies in the testing numbers at the hospital are due to some patients being tested multiple times, he said.

Henry Mayo releases complete statistics weekly, usually on Wednesdays, unless one or more new deaths occur.

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.

Due to staffing shortages and a large number of COVID-19 patient admissions, Henry Mayo recently issued a “code triage” alert and put out a call for nurses and doctors to fill open staff positions.

L.A. County

“The loss and devastation from COVID-19 is being felt by many of L.A. County residents; we mourn with you and wish you peace during this extremely difficult time,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “After an exhausting, year-long battle with this highly contagious and deadly virus, we now have a vaccine that is safe, effective and will save lives. The vaccines also do more than protect the person getting vaccinated; the more people in a community who are vaccinated and protected from COVID-19, the harder it is for this virus to spread. However, this process will take several months and so we ask for your understanding and patience.”

There are currently 7,322 people currently hospitalized with COVID-19, and 24% of these people are in the ICU.

Of the 185 deaths reported Tuesday (not including Long Beach), 69 people that passed away were over the age of 80 years old, 56 people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, 48 people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64 years old, 11 people who died were between the ages of 30 and 49 years old and one person between the ages of 12 and 17 years old. Of the deaths reported today, 126 deaths were people with underlying health conditions, including 52 people who were over the age of 80 years old, 39 people who were between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, 29 people between the ages of 50 and 64 years old, five people between the ages of 30 and 49 years old and one person between the ages of 12 and 17 years old. One death is reported by the city of Pasadena.

Of the total number of people who died, information about race and ethnicity is available for 13,246 people; 52% of deaths occurred among Latino/Latinx residents, 24% among White residents, 14% among Asian residents, 9% among African American/Black residents, less than 1% among Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander residents and 2% among residents identifying with other races. Upon further investigation, 218 cases reported earlier were not L.A. County residents.

Testing results are available for more than 5,266,000 individuals with 19% of all people testing positive.

The 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.

California Tuesday

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) released the most recent statistics on COVID-19 on Tuesday, including data on intensive care unit (ICU) capacity across the state.

Projected ICU capacity remains below 15% in the Bay Area, San Joaquin Valley and Southern California regions which remain under the Regional Stay at Home Order. The order will be lifted for a region once its four-week ICU projection shows a capacity of greater than or equal to 15%. Re-entry framework for a region that has recently exited the Regional Stay at Home Order is being finalized.

Current Status of Regional Stay at Home Order in Affected Regions

San Joaquin Valley: Remains under order; four-week ICU capacity projections do not meet criteria to exit order.

Southern California: Remains under order; four-week ICU capacity projections do not meet criteria to exit order.

Bay Area: Remains under order; four-week ICU capacity projections do not meet criteria to exit order.

The ICU capacity projections are based on four factors: current estimated regional ICU capacity available, measure of current community transmission, current regional case rates and the proportion of ICU cases being admitted. Decreasing community transmission and increasing the health system capacity can help a region’s projected ICU capacity so they can exit the order.

Counties within the Greater Sacramento and Northern California regions are under the tiering system and rules of the Blueprint for a Safer Economy.

Counties within the Greater Sacramento and Northern California region are under the tiering system and rules of the Blueprint for a Safer Economy.

Due to high rates of COVID-19 hospitalizations impacting the health care system, California is also under a Limited Stay at Home Order. The order applies to all counties that are currently under the Regional Stay at Home Order and those in Tier One (Purple) of the Blueprint for a Safer Economy. The Limited Stay at Home Order will expire after the Regional Stay At Home Order has been terminated in all regions of the state.

Hospital Surge Order

CDPH updated the Hospital Surge Public Health Order to clarify when hospitals must make notifications to state and local authorities on Jan. 15. The update included technical updates and updates on when specific terms of the order take effect. The updated order continues to require some non-essential and non-life-threatening surgeries to be delayed in counties with 10% or less of ICU capacity under the Regional Stay at Home Order where the regional ICU capacity is at 0%. Examples of procedures that may be delayed include carpal tunnel release and non-urgent spine surgeries. Surgeries for patients who have serious and urgent medical conditions will continue. Examples of procedures that will continue include serious cancer removal and necessary heart surgeries.

The order requires hospitals statewide to accept patient transfers from facilities that have implemented contingency or crisis care guidelines as long as those transfers can be done capably and safely. On December 28, 2020 CDPH provided guidance to health care facilities on implementing the Crisis Care Continuum Guidelines issued in June 2020.

Counties Currently Impacted by the Hospital Surge Order:

Counties Currently Impacted by the Hospital Surge Order:

San Joaquin Valley: Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Merced, San Benito, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, and Tulare.

Southern California: Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Barbara, and Ventura

See region map. Read the full Regional Stay at Home Order, Supplement to the Order, and frequently asked questions.

Updated Travel Advisory
CDPH has issued an updated travel advisory. Except in connection with essential travel, Californians should avoid non-essential travel to any part of California more than 120 miles from one’s place of residence, or to other states or countries. Avoiding travel reduces the risk of virus transmission, including by reducing the risk that new sources of infection and, potentially, new virus strains will be introduced to California. Postponing travel and staying home is the best way to protect yourself and others from COVID-19. Non-essential travelers from other states or countries are strongly discouraged from entering California and should adhere to the state’s self-quarantine procedures for 10 days.

Safe Schools for All Plan
Gov. Newsom released his California’s Safe Schools for All plan, California’s framework to support schools to continue operating safely in person and to expand the number of schools safely resuming in-person instruction.

Vaccinate All 58
The COVID-19 shipment of the COVID-19 vaccine has arrived in California, and additional shipments will continue to arrive throughout this week. The first doses are being administered to health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities. The state is working closely with community partners and stakeholders to help ensure the vaccine is distributed and administered equitably across California. For more information, visit the CDPH COVID-19 Vaccine webpage and Vaccinate All 58.

Blueprint for a Safer Economy

Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled the Blueprint for a Safer Economy, a statewide plan for reducing COVID-19 and keeping Californians healthy and safe. The plan imposes risk-based criteria on tightening and loosening COVID-19 allowable activities and expands the length of time between changes to assess how any movement affects the trajectory of the disease.

Californians can go to covid19.ca.gov to find out where their county falls and what activities are allowable in each county.

New Testing Turnaround Time Dashboard
The testing turnaround dashboard reports how long California patients are waiting for COVID-19 test results. California has worked to reduce testing turnaround times in recent weeks to help curb the spread of the virus. During the week of Jan. 3 – Jan. 9, the average time patients waited for test results was 1.4 days. During this same time period, 62% of patients received test results in one day and 90% received them within two days.

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.

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)
As of Jan. 18, 176 cases Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (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.

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. Contact your child’s doctor immediately if your child has these symptoms. Early diagnosis and treatment of patients is critical to preventing long-term complications.

New Health Equity Dashboard
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted existing inequities in health that are the result of structural racism and poverty, and the disproportionate prevalence of underlying conditions such as asthma and heart disease among Latinos and African Americans. As part of its commitment to reduce health inequities and ensure the best outcomes for all Californians, the state has launched a Health Equity Dashboard on www.covid19.ca.gov that tracks California’s health equity measure and data by race and ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender identity.

Racial Demographics – A More Complete Picture
The California Department of Public Health is committed to health equity and collecting more detailed racial and ethnic data that will provide additional understanding for determining future action. Health outcomes are affected by forces including structural racism, poverty and the disproportionate prevalence of underlying conditions such as asthma and heart disease among Latinos and African American Californians. Only by looking at the full picture can we understand how to ensure the best outcomes for all Californians.

The differences in health outcomes related to COVID-19 are most stark in COVID-19 deaths. We have nearly complete data on race and ethnicity for COVID-19 deaths, and we are seeing the following trends: Latinos, African Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders are dying at disproportionately higher levels. More males are dying from COVID-19 than females, in line with national trends. More information is available at COVID-19 Race and Ethnicity Data.

Popular links include:

– 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)

Your Actions Save Lives
California is experiencing the fastest increase in cases we have seen yet – faster than what we experienced at the outset of the pandemic and this summer. If COVID-19 continues to spread at this rate, it could quickly overwhelm our health care system and lead to catastrophic outcomes. Protect yourself, family, friends and community by following these prevention measures:

– Staying home except for essential needs/activities and following local and state public health guidelines when visiting businesses that are open.

– Following the Limited Stay at Home Order that requires allnon-essential work and activities to stop between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. in counties in the purple tier. The order took effect at 10 p.m. Saturday, November 21, and will remain in effect until 5 a.m. December 21.

– Staying close to home, avoiding non-essential travel, and practicing self-quarantine for 14 days after arrival if you leave the state.

– Keeping gatherings small, short and outdoors and limiting them to those 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.

– Following guidance from public health officials.

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.