The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed 17 new deaths throughout L.A. County, 3,547 new cases countywide and 78 new cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.

This new data brings Los Angeles County death totals to 32,654, county case totals to 3,272,097 and Santa Clarita Valley case totals to 85,830, with 484 total SCV deaths from COVID-19 since March of 2020.

There are 1,286 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized. Testing results are available for more than 12,315,526 individuals, with 24% of people testing positive.

Of the 17 new deaths reported today, two people were between the ages of 30-49, two people were between the ages of 50-64, five people were between the ages of 65-79, and seven people were aged 80 years or older. For information on the one death reported by the city of Long Beach, visit longbeach.gov. Of the 17 newly reported deaths, 14 had underlying health conditions.

Today’s positivity rate is 14.9%.

Data is by date reported by DPH, but does not necessarily represent the date of testing, hospitalization, or death.

Residents Encouraged to Get Tested to Slow Spread of COVID-19

Although case rates appear to be slowly declining, L.A. County remains in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention high community level with the increasing proliferation of the highly infectious BA.5 subvariant. Knowing your status remains key to slowing the spread as does layering in other safety measures, including masking, to protect ourselves and others.

Over the last seven days, the average number of daily new cases was 6,014, an 11% decrease from one week ago when the average number of daily new cases reported was 6,742. Test positivity rate is stable at 15.5%.

The number of people severely ill and needing to be hospitalized appears to be stabilizing. Over the last seven days, the average number of COVID-positive patients per day in L.A. County hospitals was 1,262, very similar to one week ago when the 7-day average number of COVID-positive patients per day was 1,243.

Deaths, which typically lag hospitalizations by several weeks, continue to increase, with an average of 15 deaths reported per day this past week, compared to an average of 12 deaths one week ago.

To help prevent the spread of COVID, testing remains a useful and effective tool. Residents should get tested if they have been exposed, have symptoms, and before and after gatherings and travel. Residents who test positive, even with an at-home test, need to isolate to avoid infecting others. Residents who test negative but have symptoms should remain home and test again in 24-48 hours to be sure they aren’t infected. If a test is still negative, but a person remains ill, they may have another virus/illness. Anyone with symptoms should remain home until they are fever free and symptoms are resolving. Individuals should call their provider if they have concerns about their illness. If an individual does not have a provider, they can call 2-1-1 to get connected to care.

There are several FDA-approved rapid over-the-counter tests that can be used for self-testing at home, at a business, or at other community settings. Most are antigen tests that provide results in a few minutes, as opposed to laboratory-based PCR tests that may take several days to process.

A third round of at-home tests can be ordered at no charge from the federal government at www.covidtests.gov. Residents who have health insurance can receive eight free at-home tests each month for each insured member in their household. And many community organizations are distributing free test kits to individuals with limited resources. Free testing kits can be picked up at all Department of Public Health vaccination sites.

Individuals with any questions should talk with their health care provider to make sure they understand their viral test results and any next steps. Those without easy access to a health care provider who have questions about their test result and what to do next, can call the Public Health COVID-19 information line at 1-833-540-0473, seven days a week.

“I send my deepest sympathies and wishes of peace and comfort to the many families who have lost a loved one from COVID-19,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “I want to note that since COVID continues to be a leading cause of death in L.A. County, we should continue to use all tools available to reduce the risk; this includes testing, vaccinating and boosting, accessing therapeutics if eligible and masking when indoors. It is my fervent hope that this current surge will abate soon, but, in the meantime, I ask everyone to be cautious and take care of each other and I thank the many who are doing all they can do to slow the spread.”

A wide range of data and dashboards on COVID-19 from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health are available on the Public Health website at http://www.publichealth.lacounty.gov.

To keep workplaces and schools open, residents and workers are asked to:

– Get tested to help reduce the spread, especially if you traveled for the holidays, have had a possible exposure, or have symptoms, or are gathering with people not in your household

– Adhere to masking requirements when indoors or at crowded outdoor spaces, regardless of vaccination status

– Residents are legally required to be isolated if they have a positive COVID test result and vaccinated close contacts with symptoms and unvaccinated close contacts need to be quarantined.

For information on where you can get tested, please visit www.covid19.lacounty.gov/testing/.

For updated isolation and quarantine guidance, please visit www.publichealth.lacounty.gov.

COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective and are recommended for everyone 5 years old and older to help protect against COVID-19. Vaccinations are always free and open to eligible residents and workers regardless of immigration status. Appointments are not needed at all Public Health vaccination sites and many community sites where first, second, and third doses are available.

To find a vaccination site near you, or to make an appointment, please visit:

www.VaccinateLACounty.com (English) or

www.VacunateLosAngeles.com (Spanish).

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.

Schools Community Dashboard

Student Dashboard

Staff Dashboard

Santa Clarita Valley Tuesday Update
As of 4 p.m. Tuesday, the L.A. County Public Health dashboard reported no additional deaths in the city of Santa Clarita, leaving the total number of deaths from COVID-19 in the SCV at 484.

The following is the community breakdown per L.A. County’s dashboard:

Santa Clarita: 394

Castaic: 31

Acton: 17

Stevenson Ranch: 15

Unincorporated Canyon Country: 9 (revised from 10)

Agua Dulce: 6

Val Verde: 3 (revised from 4)

Valencia: 2

Unincorporated Bouquet Canyon: 2

Elizabeth Lake: 2

Newhall: 1

unincorporated Saugus/Canyon Country: 1

Lake Hughes: 1

SCV Cases

Of the 85,830 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

Santa Clarita: 63,334

Castaic: 8,676

Stevenson Ranch: 5,070

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 3,114

Acton: 1710

Val Verde: 945

Agua Dulce: 881

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 824

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 380

Elizabeth Lake: 238

Bouquet Canyon: 175

Lake Hughes: 177

Saugus/Canyon Country: 104

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 93

Sand Canyon: 53

San Francisquito/Bouquet Canyon: 39

Placerita Canyon: 17

*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.

California Tuesday

The California Department of Public Health now updates their numbers on Tuesday and Friday. The information below is from the most recent data released Tuesday, July 26.

Vaccinations

– 78,476,295 total vaccines administered.

– 79.6% of the eligible population (5+) has been vaccinated with at least one dose.

– 43,435 people a day are receiving COVID-19 vaccination (average daily dose count over 7 days).

Cases

– California has 9,871,930 confirmed cases to date.

– Tuesday’s average case count is 17,845 (average daily case count over 7 days).

– Unvaccinated people are 5.9 times more likely to get COVID-19 than boosted individuals (June 27, 2022 – July 3, 2022).

Testing

– The testing positivity rate is 15% (average rate over 7 days).

Hospitalizations

– There are 4,826 hospitalizations statewide.

– There are 512 ICU patients statewide.

– Unvaccinated people are 7.1 times more likely to be hospitalized than boosted individuals (June 27, 2022 – July 3, 2022).

Deaths

– There have been 92,595 COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

– COVID-19 claims the lives of 28 Californians each day (average daily death count over 7 days).

– Unvaccinated people are 9.9 times more likely to die than boosted individuals (June 20, 2022 – June 26, 2022).

Health Care Workers

As of July 21, local health departments have reported 172,748 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 583 deaths statewide.

Testing Turnaround Time

The testing turnaround time dashboard reports how long California patients are waiting for COVID-19 test results. During the week of July 10 to July 16, the average time patients waited for test results was 0.9 day. During this same time period, 86% of patients received test results in one day and 97% received them within two days.

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)

As of July 25, there have been 1010 cases of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) 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.

Additional Updates

Mask Guidance: Under California’s mask guidance, universal masking is required only in specified higher risk settings like hospitals, public transit and congregate living facilities. Unvaccinated persons are required to mask in all indoor public settings. Fully vaccinated individuals are recommended to continue indoor masking when the risk may be high. Workplaces will continue to follow the COVID-19 prevention standards set by CalOSHA. Local health jurisdictions may implement requirements that are stricter than state guidance.

Slow the Spread: Get Vaccinated and Boosted for COVID-19

The risk for COVID-19 exposure and infection continues as a number of Californians remain unvaccinated and unboosted.

Real-world evidence continues to show that the vaccine is preventing severe illness, hospitalization, and death. Public health officials urge Californians to get vaccinated and boosted as soon as possible.

It is recommended that every vaccinated person 12 years or older should get a booster as long as they received their second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine at least five months ago or they received their Johnson & Johnson vaccine at least two months ago.

Vaccination appointments can be made by visiting myturn.ca.gov or calling 1-833-422-4255. The consent of a parent or legal guardian may be needed for those under age 18 to receive a vaccination. Visit Vaccinate All 58 to learn more about the safe and effective vaccines available for all Californians 5+.

Your Actions Save Lives

Protect yourself, family, friends and your community by following these prevention measures:

Keep California Healthy
Protect yourself, family, friends and your community by following these prevention measures:

– Get vaccinated when it’s your turn. Californians age 16+ are eligible to make an appointment.

– If you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 (fever, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, muscle or body aches), call your health care provider.

– If you believe you have been exposed, get tested. Free, confidential testing is available statewide.

– Keep gatherings small and outdoors and follow state and local public health guidance.

– Wear a mask and get the most out of masking – an effective mask has both good fit and good filtration.

– Wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.

– Delay non-essential travel outside of California until you are fully vaccinated. Follow California’s travel advisory.

– Avoid close contact with people who are sick and stay home from work and school if you feel ill.

– Add your phone to the fight by signing up for COVID-19 exposure notifications from CA Notify.

– Answer the call or text if a contact tracer from the CA COVID Team or your local health department tries to connect.

Additional data and udpates:

Tracking COVID-19 in California

State Dashboard – Daily COVID-19 data

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

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

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.