Los Angeles County Public Health officials on Tuesday confirmed 26 new deaths and 825 new cases of COVID-19 countywide, with 36,800 total cases in the Santa Clarita Valley. In addition, Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital officials confirmed one additional death bringing the total number of COVID-19 deaths since the onset of the pandemic to 176.

Of the 26 new deaths reported today, 10 people who passed away were over the age of 80, eight people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79, four people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64, and four people who died were between the ages of 30 and 49.

“To everyone mourning loved ones and friends who have passed away from COVID-19, you and your family are in my heart and mind,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health.

To date, Public Health has identified 1,479,421 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 26,442 deaths.

There are 632 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized, and 29% of these people are in the ICU. Testing results are available for nearly 8,911,000 individuals with 15% of people testing positive. Today’s test positivity rate is 0.9%.

Cases at Skilled Nursing Facilities Decline

With the continued slowing of COVID-19 transmission countywide, COVID-19 case numbers among staff and residents at skilled nursing facilities have declined from 63 new cases during the week of Sept. 5 to 49 new cases reported the week of Oct. 3.

Of the 49 people who tested positive for COVID-19 at skilled nursing facilities; 18 new cases were among skilled nursing facility residents and 31 new cases were among skilled nursing facility staff. Fifty-seven percent of new cases the week ending Oct. 3 at skilled nursing facilities are among staff/residents that are fully vaccinated.

Under a State and County Health Officer Order, healthcare workers, including staff at skilled nursing facilities, are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of September 30; those with an approved medical or religious exemption need to be tested once or twice weekly. The latest survey results received this week from skilled nursing facilities indicated that 94% of staff and 89% of residents are fully vaccinated. Skilled nursing facilities are subject to strict infection control precautions and are also required to verify the vaccine status of all workers and conduct routine testing of staff and residents.

Skilled nursing home residents, many of whom are immunocompromised, are eligible for a third dose of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine six months after they received their second dose in the series. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) continues to work with staff and residents at skilled nursing facilities to prioritize these most vulnerable residents for additional/booster doses.

“We continue working with nursing homes across L.A. County to ensure every eligible nursing home resident and staff is offered a third booster dose. Once FDA recommendations are finalized and eligibility for Moderna and Johnson & Johnson booster doses is determined by the CDC, those who are older and have underlying health conditions should be sure to get their boosters once eligible. Importantly, those who live or work with individuals at higher risk for severe disease should be sure to get fully vaccinated to reduce exposure risks,” said Ferrer.

Santa Clarita Valley Tuesday Update

As of 6 p.m. Monday, the L.A. County Public Health COVID-19 dashboard confirmed a total of 346 COVID-19 related deaths in the SCV since the pandemic began.

The following is the community breakdown of the 346 SCV residents who have died, according to the L.A. County dashboard:

290 in Santa Clarita

21 in Castaic

10 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 36,800 confirmed COVID-19 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 27,040

Castaic: 4,459 (incl. Pitchess Detention Center & North County Correctional Facility*)

Stevenson Ranch: 1,720

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 1,147

Acton: 761

Val Verde: 423

Agua Dulce: 401

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 278

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 166

Elizabeth Lake: 116

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

Bouquet Canyon: 64

Saugus/Canyon Country: 51

Lake Hughes: 58

Sand Canyon: 24

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, 17 patients in the hospital, and a total of 1,572 patients who have been treated and discharged since the pandemic began, with one additional death hospital spokesman Patrick Moody confirmed.

This marks the 176th death since the pandemic began, confirmed Moody.

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 4,592,312 cases and 70,437 deaths to date.

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

There were 4,081 newly reported confirmed cases Monday.

As of Oct. 18, local health departments have reported 127,052 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 517 deaths statewide.

Cases are increasing statewide, largely among unvaccinated populations:

– For the week of September 26 – October 2, the average case rate among unvaccinated Californians age 16 or older is 38.7 per 100,000 per day and the average case rate among vaccinated Californians age 16 or older is significantly lower at 5.5 per 100,000 per day.

– The great majority of new cases are among unvaccinated individuals. The rate among the unvaccinated is 7.0 times the rate among the vaccinated.

The 7-day positivity rate is 1.9%.

There have been 98,930,411 tests conducted in California. This represents an increase of 290,083 during the prior 24-hour reporting period.

As of Oct. 19, according to the CDC, 85.9% of eligible Californians have received at least one dose. Providers have reported to CDPH that a total of 51,357,333 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

Vaccinated middle and high school students are eligible for free UCLA football tickets. UCLA has partnered with Public Health to give away free tickets to a UCLA football game at the Rose Bowl to middle or high school students in L.A. County who’ve received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while tickets last. Students aged 12 to 18 who’ve received at least one dose can sign up for the free tickets online by visiting: http://ph.lacounty.gov/DPHUCLAVaxforTix.

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. 18, there have been 660 cases of 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.

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 Oct. 3 to Oct. 9, the average time patients waited for test results was 1.2 days. During this same time period, 79% of patients received test results in one day and 95% 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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