The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed Tuesday 70 new deaths and 1,337 new cases of COVID-19, with 26,620 total cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.

To date, Public Health identified 1,205,276 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 22,099 deaths.

Note: A correction was made to the number of total Castaic cases, which will be seen in the breakdown further below.

There are 1,119 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 30% of these people are in the ICU. Testing results are available for nearly 5,905,000 individuals with 19% of people testing positive. Today’s daily test positivity rate is 2.2%.

Of the 70 new deaths reported Tuesday, 24 people that passed away were over the age of 80, 29 people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79, 12 people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64, and five people who died were between the ages of 30 and 49.

Los Angeles County Meeting State Thresholds:
According to the State’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy, Los Angeles County has begun to meet the metric thresholds for the red tier that allows for additional re-openings, including on-site learning for grades 7 through 12. In order to move into the less restrictive red tier, L.A. County’s daily case rate must be at or below 7 new cases per 100,000 people and the County’s test positivity rate must be at or below 8% for two consecutive weeks. L.A. County’s adjusted case rate dropped from 7.2 new cases per 100,000 people to 5.2 new cases per 100,000 people. The test positivity rate dropped from 3.5% to 2.5%. Should the cases and test positivity rates remain at or below the red tier metrics next week, the County would move to the red tier on March 17.

The state also updated the Blueprint framework to include vaccine equity. Once 2 million vaccine doses have been administered statewide to the communities with the lowest score in the Healthy Places Index, the threshold to move from the purple tier to the red tier will go from 7 new cases per 100,000 people to 10 new cases per 100,000 people. This would accelerate L.A. County’s move to the red tier, since the county has two consecutive weeks with case rates below 10 new cases per 100,000 residents.

Once 4 million vaccine doses have been administered in the state to the communities with the lowest score in the Healthy Places Index, the threshold to move from the purple tier to the red tier will remain at 10 per 100,000 people, but the threshold will change for moving to the orange tier, from 4 new cases per 100,0000 residents to 6 cases per 100,000 people, and to move to the yellow tier, the threshold will change from 1 new case per 100,000 residents to 2 cases per 100,000 people.

Public Health is working with the Board of Supervisors and sector partners to prepare appropriate modifications to the Health Officer Order reflecting the County’s move to the red tier.

California Tuesday Snapshot

Statewide, the California Department of Public Health confirmed Tuesday a total of 3,507,266, with 54,395 deaths from the disease. There are 3,744 confirmed hospitalizations and 1,028 ICU hospitalizations in California.

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

There were 2,614 newly recorded confirmed cases Monday.

The 7-day positivity rate is 2.1% and the 14-day positivity rate is 2.2%.

There have been 50,139,831 tests conducted in California. This represents an increase of 217,332 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 March 9, providers have reported administering a total of 10,628,752 vaccine doses statewide. The CDC reports that 14,479,430 doses have been delivered to entities within the state, and 14,689,305 vaccine doses, which includes the first and second dose, have been shipped. Numbers do not represent true day-to-day change as reporting may be delayed.

***Tuesday’s count of administered doses is incomplete due to data processing delay. Complete counts will be updated later this week.

Health Care Worker Infection Rates
As of March 8, local health departments have reported 97,813 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 406 deaths statewide.

Santa Clarita Valley Tuesday Update
As of 5:15 p.m. Tuesday, the L.A. County Public Health dashboard recorded 271 deaths among Santa Clarita Valley residents since the pandemic began, but did not yet include the death reported by Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital on Monday.

The following is the community breakdown of the 271 SCV residents who have died, according to the L.A. County dashboard:

233 lived in Santa Clarita

16 in Castaic

7 in Acton

3 in Agua Dulce

3 in unincorporated Canyon Country

3 in Stevenson Ranch

1 in unincorporated Bouquet Canyon

1 in Lake Hughes

1 in Newhall

1 in unincorporated Saugus/Canyon Country

1 in Val Verde

1 in Valencia

Of the 26,327 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 19,469

Castaic: *(corrected) 3,625

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

Stevenson Ranch: 1,081

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 801

Acton: 455

Val Verde: 317

Agua Dulce: 257

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 184

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 132

Elizabeth Lake: 75

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 66

Bouquet Canyon: 45

Lake Hughes: 40

Saugus/Canyon Country: 40

Sand Canyon: 17

San Francisquito/Bouquet Canyon: 15

Placerita Canyon: 1

*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 Newhall Hospital Tuesday Update

Note: The hospital did not release new data as of deadline Tuesday.

Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital Monday reported its 145th death due to COVID-19, according to hospital spokesman Patrick Moody.

As of Monday, no cases were pending, seven patients were hospitalized in a dedicated COVID-19 unit receiving ICU-level care, and a total of 1,168 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 mourning loved ones and friends who have passed away from COVID-19, our hearts go out to you,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “It is uplifting to know Los Angeles County is close to meeting thresholds that will allow us to move into the State’s less restrictive red tier in California’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy. This means that, as we continue to vaccinate more residents, we are slowing transmission, saving lives, and closer to ending this pandemic. To stay on this trajectory, it is important residents, businesses, and schools follow the safety measures as we together continue to reduce transmission and slow the spread, including wearing masks and physically distancing.”

Public Health continues to track the impact of COVID-19 on expecting and new moms and newborns. As of March 1, there have been a total of 11 deaths among the 6,589 pregnant women who tested positive for COVID-19. Seventy-eight percent of pregnant women testing positive for COVID-19 are Latina/Latinx, 10% are White, 5% are African American/Black, 4% are Asian, less than 1% are Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, 2% identify with another race, and race/ethnicity was unknown or unspecified for 1%. Among the 4,726 births where there was testing information, 49 infants tested positive for the virus.

Expecting and new moms are encouraged to take extra care and remain home as much as possible to avoid exposure to COVID-19. If you are sick or positive for COVID-19 and breastfeeding, wear a mask while breastfeeding or bottle-feeding, and be sure to wash your hands before touching the baby or any pump or bottle before using. If possible, ask someone else to feed the baby your breastmilk by bottle. Public Health has detailed guidance for expecting and new moms available online.

Currently, people eligible for the vaccine include healthcare workers, residents and staff at long-term care facilities, people 65 or older, education and childcare workers, food and agriculture workers, and emergency service workers and law enforcement.

For information about vaccine appointments in L.A. County and when your turn is coming up, to sign up for a vaccination newsletter, and much more, visit www.VaccinateLACounty.com (English) and www.VacunateLosAngeles.com (Spanish).

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 Tuesday.

Statewide, nine counties moved to a less restrictive tier. No counties moved to a more restrictive tier. Counties that moved from the Purple (widespread) to Red (substantial) tier include: Alameda, Butte, Calaveras, Imperial, Santa Cruz and Solano. Two counties moved from Red (substantial) to Orange (moderate) tier: Mariposa and Plumas. Alpine County moved from Orange (substantial) to Yellow (minimal). A total of 34 counties remain in the Purple (widespread) tier, 20 are in the Red (substantial) tier, three are in the Orange (moderate) tier and one is in the Yellow (minimal) tier.

Tracking Variants

Multiple variants of the virus that causes COVID-19 have been identified globally during the COVID-19 pandemic. These genetic mutations are expected, and some emerge and then disappear, while others persist or become common. Most variants do not have a meaningful impact. Public health becomes concerned about a variant when it affects COVID-19 transmission, severity, testing, treatment or vaccine effectiveness. Get more information on the variants CDPH is currently monitoring.

Blueprint for a Safer Economy
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 March 9

34 counties in the Purple (widespread) Tier

20 counties in the Red (substantial) Tier

3 counties in Orange (moderate) Tier

1 county in the Yellow (minimal) Tier

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 Feb. 21 – Feb. 27, the average time patients waited for test results was 1.2 days. During this same time period, 78% of patients received test results in one day and 94% 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 March 1, 331 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.