Los Angeles County Public Health officials on Tuesday confirmed 29 new deaths and 1,147 new cases of COVID-19 countywide, with 35,725 total cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.

Of the 29 new deaths reported today, six people who passed away were over the age of 80, nine people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79, six people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64, and five people who died were between the ages of 30 and 49. Two deaths were reported by the City of Pasadena and one death was reported by the City of Long Beach.

“We grieve alongside everyone who has suffered the loss of friends and families during this extraordinarily difficult time. Our prayers and hearts are with you,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health.

To date, Public Health identified 1,456,275 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 26,047 deaths. As of September 20, the County is tragically seeing about 15 deaths a day, a 38% decline from the month earlier.

There are 908 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 31% of these people are in the ICU. This is a decrease of 126 daily hospitalizations over the prior week.

As of September 11, unvaccinated adults 50 and over were more than 16 times more likely to be hospitalized than vaccinated adults over 50. Hospitalizations in younger unvaccinated adults between 18 to 49 years old were 29 times higher than hospitalization rates for vaccinated residents 18 to 49 years old.

Testing results are available for nearly 8,600,000 individuals with 16% of people testing positive. Today’s test positivity rate is 1.1%, a decrease from last week’s same-day rate of 1.4%.

Student, Staff Cases Declining

COVID-19 school cases among students and staff are declining. In August, student cases increased from about 1,300 to a peak of nearly 2,800 cases the week ending Aug. 22.

The number of student close contacts – students identified as a close contact with a confirmed case – increased correspondingly to a peak of nearly 11,000 by the end of August. Since then, both student cases and contacts have decreased substantially; last week, the County saw about 530 student cases and nearly 2,800 student close contacts.

Meanwhile, staff numbers have also decreased weekly from their high point of 452 staff cases and 498 staff close contacts in mid-August: last week, there were only 77 staff cases and 19 staff close contacts.

These downward trends are the consequence of the hard work of school administrators, teachers, and staff to implement vaccinations, masking, student cohorting, seating charts, and other preventive strategies, adding new layers of quality improvement to their workdays at everyone’s great effort.

These improvements would not have been possible without the support of the parents, students and broader school communities who helped schools implement these safety measures.

Santa Clarita Valley Tuesday Update

As of 6 p.m. Monday, the L.A. County Public Health COVID-19 dashboard confirmed a total of 333 COVID-19 related deaths in the SCV since the pandemic began.

The following is the community breakdown of the 333 SCV residents who have died, according to the L.A. County dashboard:

280 in Santa Clarita

20 in Castaic

9 in Acton

8 in Stevenson Ranch

6 in unincorporated Canyon Country

3 in Agua Dulce

2 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 35,725 confirmed COVID-19 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 26,254

Castaic: 4,364 (incl. Pitchess Detention Center & North County Correctional Facility*)

Stevenson Ranch: 1,638

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 1,119

Acton: 732

Val Verde: 416

Agua Dulce: 388

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 266/p>

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 161

Elizabeth Lake: 107

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 70

Bouquet Canyon: 63

Saugus/Canyon Country: 47

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, 21 patients in the hospital, and a total of 1,519 patients who have been treated and discharged since the pandemic began, 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, which generally lags 48 hours behind.

California Tuesday Snapshot

California Department of Public Health confirmed Tuesday 4,476,388 cases and 68,387 deaths to date.

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

There were 4,753 newly reported confirmed cases Monday.

As of Sept. 27, local health departments have reported 124,873 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 501 deaths statewide.

Cases are increasing statewide, largely among unvaccinated populations:

– For the week of September 5 – September 11, the average case rate among unvaccinated Californians age 16 or older is 62.83 per 100,000 per day and the average case rate among vaccinated Californians age 16 or older is significantly lower at 7.95 per 100,000 per day.

– The great majority of new cases are among unvaccinated individuals. The rate among the unvaccinated is 8 times the rate among the vaccinated.

The 7-day positivity rate is 2.5%.

There have been 91,949,140 tests conducted in California. This represents an increase of 294,988 during the prior 24-hour reporting period.

As of Sept. 27, according to the CDC, 83.8% of eligible Californians have received at least one dose. Providers have reported to CDPH that a total of 49,186,995 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 Update

As of Sept. 23, 92% of L.A. County residents 65 and over have received at least one dose of the vaccine, 78% of residents 16 and over and 77% of residents 12 and over. Sixty-nine percent of residents 12 and over have been fully vaccinated. Sixty-seven percent of L.A. County teens between the ages of 12 and 17 received at least one dose and 58% are fully vaccinated. Out of the nearly 10.3 million L.A. County residents, including those who are not yet eligible for the vaccine, 66% have received at least one dose, and 59% are fully vaccinated.

Last Friday, Sept. 24, the County began administering booster doses as well as the additional doses administered to immunocompromised people. Although the numbers are not yet complete, Public Health received reports that nearly 14,500 boosters or additional doses were administered between Sept. 24 and Sept. 26. Countywide, nearly 92,000 additional/booster doses have been administered by L.A. County providers.

L.A. County continues to offer vaccines at more than 1,300 sites countywide and through the deployment of more than 400 mobile vaccination teams each week to make it as easy as possible for eligible L.A. County residents to get vaccinated. Over 700 fixed sites and almost all mobile team sites offer Pfizer vaccines, including first, second and third doses.

Vaccinations are always free and open to eligible residents and workers regardless of immigration status. Anyone 12 and older living or working in L.A. County can get vaccinated. Boosters are available for eligible individuals at all sites offering the Pfizer vaccine. Appointments are not needed at all Public Health vaccination sites where first, second, and third doses are available.

Los Angeles County residents eligible for a booster dose of Pfizer include the following groups of people who received the second of the two-dose Pfizer vaccine series at least 6 months ago and are either:

– People aged 65 years or older

– Residents of long-term care facilities

– People aged 18 to 64 years with underlying medical conditions

– People aged 18 to 64 years with high institutional or occupational risk, including healthcare workers, first responders, teachers and day care staff, grocery workers, and workers and residents in homeless shelters or prisons, among others.

“I stress the importance of getting ahead of future surges. It is not inevitable that we continue to experience these cycles of scary increases in cases. The entire premise of community immunity is to get enough people vaccinated to leave little room for virus transmission. To accomplish this, we each need to think about our own role differently. We are living during a raging, worldwide, deadly pandemic that can be most quickly ended with very high rates of vaccination coverage. These times ask each of us to step up to protect the health and the lives of our co-workers, neighbors, and those most vulnerable. My hope is that those who are being asked to get vaccinated now take to heart this opportunity to get us to the end of the pandemic,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health.

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 Sept. 27, there have been 623 cases of MIS-C have been reported statewide (**revised from 596).

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. 12 to Sept. 18, the average time patients waited for test results was 1.2 days. During this same time period, 72% of patients received test results in one day and 91% 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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