The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed Tuesday 227 new deaths, including two additional deaths at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital, and 3,353 new cases of COVID-19 countywide, with 24,901 total cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.

To date, Public Health identified 1,152,239 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 18,360 deaths. There are 4,079 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 29% of these people are in the ICU.

Of the 227 new deaths reported Tuesday, 66 people who passed away were over the age of 80, 95 people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79, 51 people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64, and four people who died were between the ages of 30 and 49. Eight deaths were reported by the city of Long Beach and three deaths were reported by the city of Pasadena.

U.K. Variant

Public Health also confirmed five additional cases of COVID-19 variant B.1.1.7. (U.K. variant), totaling eight cases in Los Angeles County. The B.1.1.7 variant is more easily transmissible, and verification of the variant in L.A. County means residents and businesses must be extremely diligent adhering to all public health safety measures, including wearing face coverings, distancing from others, and handwashing; these measures protect against transmission of the virus and known variants.

Despite recent decreases in the current COVID-19 surge of cases and hospitalizations, COVID-19 transmission remains widespread here in L.A. County and in many states and countries.

Travel Advisory
Travel increases the risk of getting and spreading COVID-19. Additionally, the risk may be greater with the prevalence of the more easily transmissible B.1.1.7 variant.

With the upcoming Lunar New Year, Valentine’s Day, and Presidents Day, Public Health advises against non-essential travel and gatherings with people not from your household. COVID-19 surged after Thanksgiving and Christmas travel in November and December. The more people travel, the more interactions they have with individuals outside of their household, the greater the risk of getting and spreading COVID-19. Shared transportation, including travel by air, bus, or rail, can not only put travelers at risk but also all members of the community if infected travelers spread COVID-19 to others after returning to Los Angeles County.

A travel advisory remains in effect for L.A. County. Anyone who is arriving to Los Angeles County must self-quarantine for 10 days; please remain at your home or lodging for the 10 days and avoid contact with others. If you must travel, please plan ahead. Know how widespread COVID-19 is in the area you must travel to. It is critical to not travel if you are sick. Residents should stay home if they are experiencing symptoms of illness, have not finished their isolation period after testing positive for COVID-19, or have not finished their quarantine period after being exposed or likely to have been exposed to someone who is positive for COVID-19. More guidance and information regarding the travel advisory can be found at www.publichealth.lacounty.gov.

California Tuesday Snapshot
Statewide, the California Department of Public Health confirmed a total of 3,354,591 cases, with 44,477 deaths from the disease. There are 11,198 confirmed hospitalizations and 3,164 ICU hospitalizations in California.

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

There were 8,251 newly recorded confirmed cases Monday.

The 7-day positivity rate is 4.8% and the 14-day positivity rate is 5.6%.

There have been 44,583,304 tests conducted in California. This represents an increase of 259,754 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. There have been COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

As of Feb. 9, providers have reported administering a total of 4,914,630 vaccine doses statewide. Numbers do not represent true day-to-day change as reporting may be delayed. The CDC reports that 7,385,225 doses have been delivered to entities within the state, and 7,634,975 vaccine doses, which includes the first and second dose, have been shipped.

Health Care Worker Infection Rates
As of Feb. 8, local health departments have reported 89,643 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 369 deaths statewide.

Santa Clarita Valley Tuesday Update
As of 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, the L.A. County Public Health dashboard remains unchanged from Monday, which recorded 236 deaths among Santa Clarita Valley residents since the pandemic began, but had not included the most recent deaths from Henry Mayo.

According to Tuesday’s dashboard, of the 236 SCV residents who have died, 205 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.

Of the 24,901 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 18,169

Castaic: 3,484

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

Stevenson Ranch: 990

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 738

Acton: 409

Val Verde: 295

Agua Dulce: 242

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 169

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 125

Elizabeth Lake: 71

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 66

Bouquet Canyon: 42

Lake Hughes: 38

Saugus/Canyon Country: 34

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
Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital reported two additional deaths from COVID-19 on Tuesday, bringing the total to 128 deaths to date, hospital spokesman Patrick Moody said.

As of Tuesday, there are 0 cases pending, 45 patients were hospitalized in dedicated COVID-19 units receiving ICU-level care, and a total of 1,075 patients have been treated and discharged, Moody said.

Discrepancies in the numbers are from some patients being tested more than once.

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 the families and friends experiencing the sorrow of losing of a loved one due to COVID-19, I send my sincere condolences,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “We are only weeks away from reducing transmission in L.A. County to a level where elementary schools will be allowed by the state to offer in-class instruction, provided they adhere to all State and County directives. Schools that decide to open will need to require masking, distancing and routine testing. Please do your part to continue to slow the spread so that our recovery journey does not suffer a setback.”

Public Health inspectors are inspecting businesses to ensure compliance with the Los Angeles County Health Officer Order. During Public Health’s recent business compliance checks, inspectors noted that many newly re-opened restaurants were not in compliance with employee face-covering and shelter structure requirements. To remain open, all businesses are required to adhere fully with their sector specific protocols. From January 27 through February 3, a total of 61 citations were issued to businesses including restaurants, gyms, personal care salons, hair salons/barbershops, and shopping malls for noncompliance with Health Officer Orders. Since the end of August, a total of 874 citations have been issued.

It is very important businesses understand, implement, and comply with protocols and directives; non-compliance can contribute to increased community transmission when COVID-19 spreads among employees and customers. A list of non-compliant businesses that received citations can be found online.

Testing results are available for more than 5,622,000 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

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

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 Feb. 9:

53 counties in the Purple (widespread) Tier

2 counties in the Red (substantial) Tier – Del Norte and Mariposa

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. 24 – Jan. 30, the average time patients waited for test results was 1.2 days. During this same time period, 74% of patients received test results in one day and 92% 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. 8, 224 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 that tracks California’s health equity measure and data by race and ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender identity.

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.