Los Angeles County Public Health officials on Tuesday confirmed 16 new deaths and 742 new cases of COVID-19 countywide, with 36,446 total cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.

The number of cases and deaths are likely to reflect reporting delays over the holiday.

Of the 16 new deaths reported today, two people who passed away were over the age of 80, five people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79, seven people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64, and two people who died were between the ages of 30 and 49.

“To everyone mourning the passing of a loved one, we wish you healing and peace,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health.

To date, Public Health identified 1,472,419 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 26,336 deaths.

There are 667 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized. Testing results are available for nearly 8,805,000 individuals with 15% of people testing positive. Today’s test positivity rate is 0.8%.

Cases in Pregnant Women

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) continues to track the impact of COVID-19 on expecting and new moms and newborns in Los Angeles County and continues to urge expecting and new moms to get vaccinated.

As of October 5, there are 13,161 pregnant women in L.A. County who tested positive for COVID-19. Seventy-six percent of pregnant women testing positive for COVID-19 are Latina/Latinx, 11% are White, 5% are African American/Black, and 5% are Asian. Although rare, women infected during their pregnancy can pass the virus to their newborn. Among the 12,919 births where there was testing information, 63 infants tested positive for COVID-19. Twelve pregnant women who tested positive for COVID-19 tragically passed away.

Because pregnant and recently pregnant women are more likely to get severely ill from COVID-19 compared to non-pregnant women, Public Health continues to urge and offer vaccination to women who are pregnant, breastfeeding, trying to get pregnant now, or might become pregnant in the future.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and pregnancy experts, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, and the American College of Nurse-Midwives recommend that pregnant and lactating women be vaccinated against COVID-19. Studies have affirmed the vaccines’ safety in all stages of pregnancy and the vaccines do not cause any fertility problems.

Resources are available to assist pregnant women and women of childbearing age get the facts, at: http://www.publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus/docs/vaccine/WomenAndCOVIDvaccine.pdf

“Along with the CDC and pregnancy experts, we continue to strongly recommend expecting and new moms to get vaccinated against COVID-19,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “According to a CDC study on pregnant and recently pregnant women with COVID-19, symptomatic pregnant women compared with non-pregnant symptomatic women have more than a two-fold increased risk of requiring ICU admission and a 70% increased risk of death. The evidence continues to highlight the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy, but also shows the risk to pregnant women when they are not vaccinated and get COVID-19.”

Santa Clarita Valley Tuesday Update

As of 6 p.m. Monday, the L.A. County Public Health COVID-19 dashboard confirmed a total of 345 COVID-19 related deaths in the SCV since the pandemic began.

The following is the community breakdown of the 345 SCV residents who have died, according to the L.A. County dashboard:

289 in Santa Clarita

21 in Castaic

10 in Acton

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 36,446 confirmed COVID-19 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 26,777

Castaic: 4,425 (incl. Pitchess Detention Center & North County Correctional Facility*)

Stevenson Ranch: 1,694

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 1,144

Acton: 752

Val Verde: 423

Agua Dulce: 396

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 272

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 164

Elizabeth Lake: 116

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

Bouquet Canyon: 64

Saugus/Canyon Country: 50

Lake Hughes: 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, 19 patients in the hospital, and a total of 1,557 patients who have been treated and discharged since the pandemic began, with no additional deaths hospital spokesman Patrick Moody confirmed.

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 4,557,285 cases and 69,756 deaths to date.

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

There were 4,091 newly reported confirmed cases Monday.

As of Oct. 11, local health departments have reported 126,373 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 515 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 43.5 per 100,000 per day and the average case rate among vaccinated Californians age 16 or older is significantly lower at 6.1 per 100,000 per day.

– The great majority of new cases are among unvaccinated individuals. The rate among the unvaccinated is 7.1 times the rate among the vaccinated.

The 7-day positivity rate is 2.1%.

There have been 96,482,901 tests conducted in California. This represents an increase of 285,722 during the prior 24-hour reporting period.

As of Oct. 12, according to the CDC, 85.1% of eligible Californians have received at least one dose. Providers have reported to CDPH that a total of 50,679,798 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

Public Health encourages everyone unvaccinated for COVID-19 to get vaccinated now to be fully protected for the holidays. Vaccinations are widely available throughout L.A. County and are always free and open to eligible residents and workers regardless of immigration status. Appointments are not needed at many sites and all Public Health vaccination sites where first, second, and third doses are available.

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. 11, there have been 644 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. 26 to Oct. 2, 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 92% 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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