The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed Tuesday 120 new deaths and 1,260 new cases of COVID-19, with 25,328 total cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.

**Note: The lower number of deaths and cases may reflect reporting delays over the holiday weekend.

To date, Public Health identified 1,169,550 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 19,215 deaths. There are 2,964 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 31% of these people are in the ICU.

The state updated the metrics Tuesday that characterize the amount of transmission in a county and what restrictions must be followed to reduce transmission. L.A. County remains in the purple tier and transmission continues to be widespread. Los Angeles County’s adjusted case rate is now 20 cases per 100,000 people and our seven-day average daily test positivity rate is 7.2%. The average daily cases, adjusted case rate, and positivity rate are steadily declining after peaking in January.

L.A. County meets State Requirements for Schools to Open On-Site Learning for TK-6

L.A. County’s adjusted case rate has remained under 25 new cases per 100,000 people for five consecutive days, meeting the State requirements for schools to open on-site learning for grades TK through 6. Students in grades TK through 6 are permitted for on-site learning if the school is in full compliance with state and county directives. Many of the directives are not new and very familiar to schools that re-opened under the waiver program or for services for high need students.

These include:

– Masking and distancing will be required for all staff and students.

– Infection control happens everywhere.

– Each classroom must form a stable group with fixed membership and they may not mix with other groups, meaning all onsite school activities will happen with this same cohort of students and adults. The size of the stable group is dependent on ensuring optimally 6 feet of distance between students and teachers.

– Schools are required to immediately report to Public Health clusters of 3 or more positive cases of COVID-19 that have occurred within 14 days of one another.

– Schools are required to complete and post the County’s school re-opening checklist that demonstrates compliance with all required safety protocols.

The state added the following additional requirements:

– Schools must complete a COVID-19 Safety Plan that includes establishing the CAL/OSHA COVID-19 Prevention Program.

– Schools are required to consult with labor, parent and community organizations regarding re-opening plans.

– Schools must ensure sufficient ventilation in classrooms and shared spaces per the ASHRAE (American Society of heating, refrigerating, and air conditioning engineers) guidance on ventilation and have an appropriate professional evaluate the ventilation system in regards to the ASHRAE guidance.

– Schools are required to have a testing plan that includes symptomatic testing and surveillance testing.

– Public Health will be conducting site visits providing technical assistance to schools and helping schools manage outbreaks when they occur.

It is understandable some parents may not currently feel comfortable sending their children back to school for onsite learning. Schools offering on campus learning opportunities should also continue to offer 100% distance learning opportunities. Please remember that it is the decision of the school district or the school as to whether they will reopen for onsite learning for grades TK through 6.

Elementary schools in L.A. County fall into two groups: those that are already open for in-classroom instruction for an entire class of students in grades TK-2 through the waiver program and those that are not open for full-grade in class instruction.

Schools already open through an approved waiver need to post their COVID Safety Plan (CSP) prior to expanding in-class instruction to students grades 3 through 6. There are 297 elementary schools with approved waivers.

Schools not yet open need to submit their required COVID Safety Plan for review by CDPH and L.A. County Public Health, along with completing the county re-opening protocol checklist. If no concerns are noted in seven working days by either the state or county health departments, they are permitted to open on day eight as long as they follow the safety requirements and protocols detailed in state and county directives.

Twelve school districts have submitted their CSPs and are currently approved for re-opening, including LAUSD. Two districts are pending review of their CSPs. One hundred and seventy-three private or charter schools have submitted their CSPs, which have been reviewed, and these schools can re-open, and seven private or charter schools have CSP s under review.

For grades 7 through 12, reopening will not be permitted until our case rate drops below 7 per 100,000 people.

Public Health is working in partnership with Los Angeles County school districts to establish the Public Health Ambassador Program for students and parents. This program will actively engage school communities in preventing and reducing the spread of COVID-19 by empowering students and parents as essential partners in each school’s prevention effort. The Ambassador Program will build a coalition throughout school communities that promotes the responsibility of each person—school leadership and staff, students, and parents—to reduce the spread of COVID-19. The effort will emphasize the importance of school community members not only consistently implementing the elements of Public Health’s reopening protocols on school campuses, but also using core infection prevention practices whenever individuals are in the broader community outside of their households.

California Tuesday Snapshot
Statewide, the California Department of Public Health confirmed a total of 3,412,057, with 47,107 deaths from the disease. There are 8,459 confirmed hospitalizations and 2,487 ICU hospitalizations in California.

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

There were 5,692 newly recorded confirmed cases Monday.

The 7-day positivity rate is 3.5% and the 14-day positivity rate is 4.2%.

There have been 46,227,725 tests conducted in California. This represents an increase of 263,598 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 Feb. 16, providers have reported administering a total of 6,262,781 vaccine doses statewide. Numbers do not represent true day-to-day change as reporting may be delayed. As of Feb. 16, the CDC reports that 8,250,650 doses have been delivered to entities within the state, and 8,517,000 vaccine doses, which includes the first and second dose, have been shipped.

Health Care Worker Infection Rates
As of Feb. 15, local health departments have reported 91,767 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 383 deaths statewide.

Santa Clarita Valley Tuesday Update
As of 6:00 p.m. Tuesday, the L.A. County Public Health dashboard remains unchanged from Monday, recording 239 deaths among Santa Clarita Valley residents since the pandemic began, but had not included the most recent deaths from Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital.

According to Tuesday’s dashboard, of the 239 SCV residents who have died, 207 lived in Santa Clarita, 12 in Castaic, 6 in Acton, 4 in Stevenson Ranch, 3 in unincorporated Canyon Country, 2 in Agua Dulce, 1 in unincorporated Bouquet Canyon, 1 in Lake Hughes, 1 in Newhall, 1 in Val Verde, 1 in Valencia.

Of the 25,328 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 18,496

Castaic: 3,527

(includes Pitchess Detention Center and North County Correctional Facility*)

Stevenson Ranch: 1,004

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 754

Acton: 422

Val Verde: 301

Agua Dulce: 246

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 170

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 125

Elizabeth Lake: 71

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 66

Bouquet Canyon: 42

Lake Hughes: 40

Saugus/Canyon Country: 35

Sand Canyon: 15

San Francisquito/Bouquet Canyon: 14

*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 available data released as of deadline Tuesday.

Last week’s deaths at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital brought the total of COVID-19 fatalities at the hospital to 133 since the pandemic began, according to hospital spokesman Patrick Moody.

As of Friday, 1 case was pending, 39 patients were hospitalized in dedicated COVID-19 units receiving ICU-level care, and a total of 1,099 patients had been treated and discharged, Moody 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.

L.A. County
“To everyone who has lost a loved one or friend to COVID-19, our deepest condolences go out to you,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “While we remain attentive to the potential for outbreaks in schools, the data both nationally and here in L.A. County indicate that schools are not high-risk settings in terms of transmission of COVID-19 as long as they are following safety requirements and protocols. It is important to understand that, when cases increase overall in L.A. County, this has a ripple effect on cases of COVID-19 among staff and students in our schools. It is clear that, in order to keep schools open and our students and school staff safe, we as a community must work to keep transmission across the county as low as possible.”

Outbreaks in schools that re-opened were relatively rare as the protocols in place prevented significant transmission at school sites. Nonetheless, like cases, outbreaks in schools also increased during the surge and have been declining steadily in January. There have been a total of 86 K-12 school-affiliated outbreaks since Sept 1, 2020. Of the 86 outbreaks, 66 involved fewer than 6 cases; most were 3-4 cases. Only two outbreaks involved slightly more than 12 cases, and this included one office site that provided procurement services that had 25 cases and one site open only to cafeteria workers that had 15 cases.

Of the 120 new deaths reported today, 46 people that passed away were over the age of 80, 38 people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79, 30 people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64, four people who died were between the ages of 30 and 49, and two people who died were between the ages of 18 and 29.

Testing results are available for more than 5,707,000 individuals with 19% of 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

Blueprint for a Safer Economy
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) released the most recent statistics Tuesday on COVID-19, including updated data and tiers for reducing COVID-19 in the state under the Blueprint for a Safer Economy.

One county, Plumas moved to a less restrictive tier, from Purple (widespread) to Red (substantial). Fifty-two counties remain in Purple (widespread). Three counties, Del Norte, Mariposa and Plumas are in the Red (substantial) tier. Three counties, Alpine, Sierra and Trinity, remained in the Orange (moderate) tier.

With the Regional Stay at Home Order rescinded statewide as of Jan. 25, all counties are now under the rules and framework of the Blueprint for a Safer Economy and color-coded tiers that indicate which activities and businesses are open based on local case rates and test positivity.

Blueprint Summary as of Feb. 9:

52 counties in the Purple (widespread) Tier

3 counties in the Red (substantial) Tier – Del Norte, Mariposa, and Plumas

3 counties in Orange (moderate) Tier – Alpine, Sierra, and Trinity

Blueprint tiers are updated weekly on Tuesdays. Find the status of activities in specific counties.

Additional Date and Updates

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

Updated Travel Advisory
CDPH has issued an updated travel advisory. 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.

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. 31 – Feb. 6, the average time patients waited for test results was 1.1 days. During this same time period, 77% of patients received test results in one day and 93% 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 Feb. 15, 266 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. View COVID-19 Race & Ethnicity Data and Cases and Deaths by Age Group.

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.