Los Angeles County Department of Public Health officials confirmed Tuesday 24 new deaths and 21,790 new cases of COVID-19 countywide, with 47,104 total cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.

Of the 24 new deaths reported, one person was between the ages of 18 and 29, two people were between the ages of 30 and 49, four were between the ages of 50-64, seven were between the ages of 65-79, and nine were over the age of 80 years old.

To date, the total number of deaths in L.A. County is 27,671.

Of the 24 newly reported deaths, 20 had underlying conditions. Information on the one death reported by the City of Pasadena is available at www.CityofPasdena.net

Although cases have increased among vaccinated people over the past few weeks, Public Health data suggests that vaccines remain extremely protective against the most severe outcomes from COVID infections.

Rate Ratios Evaluate Vaccine Protection

Rate ratios are a key metric for evaluating the protection offered by vaccines. These ratios compare rates of an outcome in unvaccinated people with rates of the same outcome in fully vaccinated people; the higher the rate ratio, the more protective the vaccine is against the outcome.

From Dec. 15-28, the rate ratio for ICU admission was 21.3, indicating the risk of ICU admission was 21.3 times higher among unvaccinated individuals than among fully vaccinated individuals. For the week of December 19-25th, the age-adjusted death rate in unvaccinated people was 4.5 per 100,000 and 0.02 per 100,000 in vaccinated individuals, yielding a rate ratio for deaths of 22.3 overall. Of note, the rate ratio for deaths has held steady over the course of the latest surge. While increases in deaths generally lag behind transmission surges, increasing the number of people who are vaccinated will help reduce the worst outcomes of Covid infections.

“I send my heartfelt condolences to those families who have lost a loved one due to COVID-19,” said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “Even as transmission surges, we are seeing that vaccines are doing what they were intended to do, which is protect people from getting severely ill due to Covid.”

“We are grateful to the 80 percent of eligible residents who have already received at least one dose of vaccine and we hope that the almost 2 million people who have yet to be vaccinated take time to talk with their health care provider to receive additional information about the safety and effectiveness of the vaccines,” Ferrer continued. “Choosing not to take the vaccine during this explosive winter surge is very risky since so many of those ill with Covid in the intensive care units at hospitals are unvaccinated, and tragically, some of these individuals will not survive. So, as we start this new year, please protect yourselves by getting vaccinated and boosted if eligible and give others around you the peace of mind that comes from reducing the risk of a terrible outcome as more and more people are infected with this virus.”

Avoid the ER if Possible 

Public Health is reminding residents to avoid visiting the emergency room unless they need emergency medical care. Residents should not be visiting the emergency department solely to get a COVID test or for minor complaints that could be resolved through their primary care physician. Emergency room visits should be reserved for those patients who are feeling severely ill, for example, those who are short of breath,  or who have serious concerns about their health and who require immediate emergency care.

Testing and Masking Advised

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 that vaccinated close contacts with symptoms and unvaccinated close contacts need to quarantine. 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, 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

Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital

*NOTE: An update for Tuesday was unavailable from Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital at press time.

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.

Santa Clarita Valley Tuesday Update

As of 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, the L.A. County Public Health dashboard remains unchanged, with a total number of 376 COVID-19 deaths to date in the Santa Clarita Valley.

The following is the community breakdown of the 376 SCV residents who have died, according to the L.A. County dashboard:

310 in Santa Clarita

23 in Castaic

13 in Acton

9 in Stevenson Ranch

7 in unincorporated Canyon Country

5 in Agua Dulce

3 in Val Verde

2 in Valencia

1 in unincorporated Bouquet Canyon

1 in Elizabeth Lake

1 in Newhall

1 in unincorporated Saugus/Canyon Country

0 in Lake Hughes (**revised from 1)

SCV Cases

Of the 47,104 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV on Tuesday, the community breakdown is as follows:

Santa Clarita: 34,799

Castaic: 5,201

Stevenson Ranch: 2,443

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 1,556

Acton: 942

Val Verde: 531

Agua Dulce: 495

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 414

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 209

Elizabeth Lake: 137

Bouquet Canyon: 99

Lake Hughes: 86

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 72

Saugus/Canyon Country: 59

Sand Canyon: 27

San Francisquito/Bouquet Canyon: 27

Placerita Canyon: 7
*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

*NOTE: The California Department of Public Health did not release the latest data for Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2022 by the time this article was published.

The California Department of Public Health released the most recent statistics Monday on COVID-19 and updates on the state’s pandemic response. The most up to date data is available on the state’s COVID-19 data dashboard.

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.

– Unvaccinated people were 5.2 times more likely to get COVID-19 (data from Dec. 13, 2021 to Dec. 19, 2021).

– Unvaccinated people were 14.5 times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 (data from Dec. 6, 2021 to Dec. 12, 2021).

– Unvaccinated people were 15.0 times more likely to die from COVID-19 (data from Nov. 29, 2021 to Dec. 5, 2021).

Vaccinations

– 65,013,522 total vaccines administered.

– 79.5% of the eligible population (5+) has been vaccinated with at least one dose.

– 141,886 people a day are receiving COVID-19 vaccination (average daily dose count over 7 days).

Cases

– California has 5,191,438* confirmed cases to date.

– Monday’s average case count is 15,806* (average daily case count over 7 days).

Testing

– The testing positivity rate is 15.9%* (average rate over 7 days).

Hospitalizations

– There are 7,314 hospitalizations statewide.

– There are 1,329 ICU patients statewide.

Deaths

– There have been 75,847* COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

– COVID-19 claims the lives of 45* Californians each day (average daily death count over 7 days).

Testing Turnaround Time

The testing turnaround time dashboard reports how long California patients are waiting for COVID-19 test results. During the week of Dec. 19 to Dec. 25, the average time patients waited for test results was one day. During this same time period, 78% of patients received test results in one day and 95% received them within two days.

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)

As of Dec. 27, there have been 773 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.