Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital reported Tuesday one additional death from COVID-19 Monday, bringing the total number to 205 since the onset of the pandemic, confirmed spokesman Patrick Moody. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed 36 additional deaths and 18,822 new cases of COVID-19 countywide, with 65,938 total cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.

Currently, the hospital has one test pending, 80 patients in the hospital and a total of 1,979 patients who have been treated and discharged since the pandemic began. 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.

Several LA County COVID-19 metrics are showing decline, including daily cases, daily case rate, positivity rate, and hospitalizations. Although these declines are a positive sign, residents should not take them as an indication to forgo common sense protective measures that will allow these declines to continue. Utilizing public health safety measures will drive down cases, which will ultimately end staffing shortages, reduce workplace and school outbreaks, and most importantly, keep residents from getting seriously ill and dying.

Two weeks ago on Jan. 11, LA County reported 34,827 new cases, two days after seeing the highest number of new cases since the pandemic began. Public Health is reporting 18,822 new cases today. While this is still a high number of cases, it represents a 46 percent drop in new cases in two weeks. Over the same time period, the daily rate of cases per 100,000 residents also decreased by 20 percent and the daily positivity rate decreased by 30 percent.

Additionally, the number of residents getting seriously ill and needing hospitalization has also begun to decline. As hospitalizations lag cases, the number of people hospitalized peaked on Jan. 20 at 4,814 and have slowly declined since, with 4,554 people currently hospitalized. While this decline is small and just beginning, we are hopeful with a reduced number of cases, the number of people hospitalized will continue to go down.

It is also important to recognize that while these declines are cause for hopefulness, the number of people dying from COVID-19 is, unfortunately, increasing, as deaths typically lag increases in cases and hospitalizations. Over the past two weeks, deaths have increased by 140 percent from 15 deaths reported on Jan. 11 to 36 deaths reported today. Sadly, the number of people dying is expected to continue to increase for the next several weeks.

“I know so many are mourning the loss of a loved one and I send my heartfelt condolences and wishes for healing,” said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “While we are finally turning a corner on this surge, we will need to remain cautious in order to reduce transmission to a low enough level that it poses less risk for those most vulnerable and less risk for our recovery journey. We are in a different place today because we have more effective tools for managing transmission, and these tools allow us to use different strategies for getting through this surge. Even during the surge, it’s been possible to continue many of our customary activities if we layer in all of the protections now available and take personal responsibility for recognizing our role in reducing transmission, protecting those we love, and protecting those most vulnerable.”

Today, Public Health confirmed 36 additional deaths and 25,784 new cases of COVID-19. Of the 27 new deaths reported Tuesday, one person was between the ages of 18 and 29, three people were between the ages of 30 and 49, four were between the ages of 50 and 64, eight were between the ages of 65-79, and 15 were over the age of 80 years old. Of the 36 newly reported deaths, 25 had underlying conditions. Information on the five deaths reported by the City of Long Beach is available at www.LongBeach.gov To date, the total number of deaths in L.A. County is 28,540.

Public Health has identified a total 2,540,075 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County. Today’s positivity rate is 13.8 percent.

There are 4,554 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized. Testing results are available for more than 10,928,600 individuals, with 21 percent of people testing positive.

Deadline Approaching for L.A. County Healthcare Workers to Receive Booster

As the Tuesday, Feb. 1 deadline approaches for all healthcare workers to get boosted, Public Health data shows that COVID cases among skilled nursing facility residents and staff are dropping due in part to the high numbers of staff and residents who have been vaccinated and boosted.

Vaccination rates among those eligible remain very high with 91 percent of residents and 97 percent of staff fully vaccinated. Over the past month, the numbers of residents that have been boosted has remained steady at around 82 percent of eligible residents as of Jan. 9. Among staff, rates are lower, with only 54 percent of staff boosted at the end of December to 65 percent boosted as of Jan. 9.

With more residents and staff fully vaccinated and boosted, new cases have declined by 14 percent among residents and 30 percent among staff for the week ending Jan. 23 compared to the previous seven days.

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.

Student Dashboard

Staff Dashboard

Santa Clarita Valley Tuesday Update

As of 5 p.m. Tuesday, the L.A. County Public Health dashboard showed no additional deaths leaving the total number of COVID-19 deaths since the onset of the pandemic to 389.

The following is the community breakdown of the 389 SCV residents who have died, according to the L.A. County dashboard:

Santa Clarita: 317

Castaic: 25

Acton: 14

Stevenson Ranch: 9

Unincorporated Canyon Country: 9

Agua Dulce: 5

Val Verde: 3

Valencia: 2

Unincorporated Bouquet Canyon: 2

Elizabeth Lake: 1

Newhall: 1

unincorporated Saugus/Canyon Country: 1

Lake Hughes: 0 (**revised from 1)

SCV Cases

Of the 65,938 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

Santa Clarita: 49,060

Castaic: 6,571

Stevenson Ranch: 3,594

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 2,325

Acton: 1,336

Val Verde: 752

Agua Dulce: 713

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 612

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 287

Elizabeth Lake: 180

Bouquet Canyon: 135

Lake Hughes: 128

Saugus/Canyon Country: 82

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 81

Sand Canyon: 38

San Francisquito/Bouquet Canyon: 32

Placerita Canyon: 12

*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

Statewide COVID-19 Data

Cases, hospitalizations and deaths are largely occurring among unvaccinated populations. See the data for unvaccinated and vaccinated cases, hospitalizations and deaths.

Vaccinations

– 68,720,989 total vaccines administered.

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

– 127,453 people a day are receiving COVID-19 vaccination (average daily dose count over 7 days).

Cases

– California has 7,482,469 confirmed cases to date.

– Tuesday’s average case count is 95,014 (average daily case count over 7 days).

Testing

– The testing positivity rate is 19.6 percent (average rate over 7 days).

Hospitalizations

– There are 15,248 hospitalizations statewide.

– There are 2,600 ICU patients statewide.

– Unvaccinated people were 6.0 times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 (data from Dec. 27, 2021 to Jan. 2, 2022).

Deaths

– There have been 78,118 COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

– COVID-19 claims the lives of 49 Californians each day (average daily death count over 7 days).

– Unvaccinated people were 17.8 times more likely to die from COVID-19 (data from Dec. 20, 2021 to Dec. 26, 2021).

Health Care Workers

As of Jan. 6, local health departments have reported 136,816 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 540 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 Jan.9 to Jan. 15, the average time patients waited for test results was 1.9 days. During this same time period, 51 percent of patients received test results in one day and 68 percent received them within two days.

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)

As of Jan. 24, there have been 790 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.

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.