Los Angeles County Department of Public Health officials confirmed Tuesday 22 additional deaths and 9,473 new cases of COVID-19 countywide, with 42,339 total cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.

L.A. County reported continued high case numbers along with rising hospitalizations. Public Health officials said what’s most alarming is the increase in test positivity which has more than tripled since mid-December, indicating surging transmission across the county.

With high rates of transmission, unfortunately, even those who are vaccinated can become infected and infect others said Public Health officials. While the hope is that Omicron symptoms are milder, the current rise in hospitalizations is a cause for concern. Hospitalizations have increased by 30% since last Tuesday; the alarming rise in hospitalizations follows an alarming increase in cases last week explained Public Health officials.

Public Health released the latest data on COVID-19:

– 1,632,893 cases to date

– 27,576 deaths to date

– 966 people currently hospitalized with COVID-19

– More than 9,960,000 individuals tested; 15% of people tested positive

Data is by date reported by DPH, but does not necessarily represent the date of testing, hospitalization, or death.
1 – Number reflects an undercount due to a lag from holiday or weekend reporting.
2 – Numbers do not include Long Beach and Pasadena.

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 including:

– COVID-19 Daily Data (cases, deaths, testing, testing positivity rate, mortality rate, and hospitalizations)

– Gender, Age, Race/Ethnicity and City/Community Cases and Deaths

– Recovery Metrics

– Contract Tracing Metrics

– Skilled Nursing Facility Metrics

– Citations due to Health Officer Order Noncompliance

Outbreaks:

– Residential Congregate Sessions

– Non-Residential Settings

– Homeless Service Settings

Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital Update

On Tuesday, Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital reported four tests pending, 29 patients in the hospital, a total of 1,710 patients who have been treated and discharged since the pandemic began and no new deaths spokesman Patrick Moody confirmed.

“We strongly encourage all those eligible for COVID-19 vaccination to get vaccinated, and all those eligible for a booster shot to get the booster,” urged Moody.

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.

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 4:00 p.m. Tuesday, the L.A. County Public Health dashboard reported two additional deaths in the city of Santa Clarita, bringing the total number to 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 42,339 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 31,108

* Castaic: 4,881

Stevenson Ranch: 2,126

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 1,363

Acton: 900

Val Verde: 473

Agua Dulce: 464

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 352

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 194

Elizabeth Lake: 131

Bouquet Canyon: 91

Lake Hughes: 78

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 70

Saugus/Canyon Country: 55

Sand Canyon: 25

San Francisquito/Bouquet Canyon: 23

Placerita Canyon: 5

*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.

Los Angeles County

“As we approach the new year, with the staggering reality that over 27,000 LA County residents have lost their lives to Omicron, we extend our thoughts and prayers to those who have lost their love ones, said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “And while we all wish that 2022 would begin without the continued tragedy of serious illness and death associated with COVID, we are instead facing the prospect of an alarming surge that requires every person to act with intentionality: get vaccinated and boosted, get tested, and please, always wear a mask around others. These are the tools we have to try to keep each other safe over the holidays.”

California Tuesday Update

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) released the most recent statistics Tuesday on COVID-19 and updates on the state’s pandemic response.

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

– Unvaccinated people were 7.6 times more likely to get COVID-19 (data from Dec. 2, 2021 to Dec. 8, 2021).

– Unvaccinated people were 11.7 times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 (data from Nov. 25, 2021 to Dec. 1, 2021).

– Unvaccinated people were 14.8 times more likely to die from COVID-19 (data from Nov. 18, 2021 to Nov. 24, 2021).

Vaccinations

– 64,075,795 total vaccines administered.

– 79.0% of the eligible population (5+) has been vaccinated with at least one dose.

– 149,329 people a day are receiving COVID-19 vaccination (average daily dose count over 7 days).

Cases

– California has 5,076,650 confirmed cases to date.

– Tuesday’s average case count is 8,686 (average daily case count over 7 days).

Testing

– The testing positivity rate is 9.7% (average rate over 7 days).

Hospitalizations

– There are 4,747 hospitalizations statewide.

– There are 1,071 ICU patients statewide.

Deaths

– There have been 75,558 COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

– COVID-19 claims the lives of 46 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. 12 to Dec. 18, the average time patients waited for test results was one day. During this same time period, 85% of patients received test results in one day and 96% 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.

Omicron Update

Overall, clinical and wastewater data indicate that Omicron cases are present in most regions of the state indicating that there is likely community transmission. Mutations consistent with Omicron variant have been detected at increasing proportions in wastewater in multiple regions throughout California where wastewater surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 is conducted. At least three health systems in California have reported approximately 50-70% of COVID-19 cases are consistent with Omicron (full sequencing results are pending). This is consistent with CDC reports of estimates of at least 70% of cases nationally. Additionally, genetic sequencing does not represent real-time data, as sequencing generally occurs several days or more after initial tests are positive for COVID-19.

The emergence of the Omicron variant emphasizes the importance of getting a vaccine, booster and taking prevention efforts needed to protect against COVID-19. For more information about Omicron and the other variants California is currently monitoring, see the variant data webpage (please note, this data is as of Dec. 22, 2021) and the Omicron variant fact sheet.

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.