Los Angeles County Public Health officials on Wednesday confirmed 256 new deaths and 5,189 new cases of COVID-19 countywide, as Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital in Valencia reported two new deaths.

The Santa Clarita Valley has now seen a total of 24,291 total cases — 128 more cases since Tuesday — and 214 deaths since L.A. county’s first confirmed COVID-19 infection on January 26, 2020.

Test results are now available for more than 5,543,000 people, with 19% testing positive.

There are 5,165 people hospitalized with COVID-19, and 27% of these patients are in the ICU.

To date, Public Health officials have identified 1,129,503 positive cases of COVID-19 and a total of 17,308 deaths countywide.

“We share our deepest condolences to everyone who is mourning the loss of a family member, a loved one or a friend. Our prayers are with you always,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health.

Third Case of B.1.1.7 Confirmed in L.A. County

Public health officials on Wednesday also confirmed the county’s third case of the COVID-19 variant B.1.1.7, which was discovered in the United Kingdom (U.K.).

The presence of the B.1.1.7 variant in L.A. County means virus transmission can happen more easily, and residents and businesses must be more diligent at implementing and following all standard public health safety measures, including face coverings, distancing, and handwashing, put in place to prevent additional cases, hospitalizations, and deaths.

Avoid ‘Super-Spreader Sunday’ Gatherings

Public Health warns everyone of past tragic consequences of gatherings. In the weeks following every holiday and many major sporting events, the county experienced increases in cases, and then hospitalizations and deaths.

Public Health recommends residents enjoy the Super Bowl and cheer for their team from their home with those they live with. Residents should connect virtually with their friends and not gather with people from outside their household to watch the Super Bowl.

“Super Bowl parties have the power to derail our recovery and given the likelihood that there are more infectious variants circulating in our community, let’s not take chances with our own health and the health of others by creating easy opportunities for the virus to spread,” Ferrer said.

“This weekend, we ask that you not share with others your respiratory droplets, which are more easily spread when we raise our voices, cheer, sing, and chant,” she said. “The serious consequences of gathering indoors with people outside of your household to watch the Super Bowl is just not worth it.”

See more SCV and L.A. County info later in this report.

California Wednesday Snapshot

Statewide, as of Tuesday, February 2, California Department of Public Health officials confirmed a total of 3,281,271 COVID-19 cases (up 10,501) with 41,811 deaths from the disease (up 481) since the pandemic began.

There are 13,776 confirmed hospitalizations and 3,667 ICU hospitalizations in the state, continuing a downward trend.

As of Tuesday, local health departments have reported 87,603 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 353 deaths statewide.

There have been 43,067,233 tests conducted in California. This represents an increase of 215,342 during the prior 24-hour reporting period.

The 7-day positivity rate is 6.1% and the 14-day positivity rate is 6.9%, continuing a downward trend.

Numbers do not represent true day-over-day change as these results may include cases from prior to yesterday.

As of Wednesday, providers have reported administering a total of 3,792,797 vaccine doses statewide. Those numbers also do not represent true day-to-day change as reporting may be delayed.

The CDC reports 6,343,925 doses have been delivered to entities within the state, and 6,693,300 vaccine doses, which includes the first and second dose, have been shipped.

See more California information later in this report.

Screencap from the Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering COVID-19 dashboard, showing COVID deaths in the United States as of Wednesday afternoon, February 3, 2021.

U.S. Deaths Nearing 450,000 People; Global Deaths Exceed 2.2 Million People

Worldwide, 104,221,874 people have been infected by COVID-19 while 2,262,923 people have died of the virus as of 1:23 p.m. Wednesday Pacific Time, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

In the U.S., more than 26,522,785 Americans have been diagnosed with COVID-19. The number of people in the U.S. who have died due to the virus has now surpassed 449,663.

With 4.25% of the world’s population (328.2 million) and more than 20% of the confirmed COVID-19 cases, the U.S. also continues to lead the world in deaths.

By comparison, Brazil (population 209.5 million) is No. 2 in deaths with 226,309, and No. 3 in cases with 9,283,418. India (population 1.353 billion) is No. 2 in cases, with 10,777,284 confirmed infections and No. 4 in deaths with 154,596 as of Wednesday afternoon.

Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital Wednesday Update

The two new deaths reported Wednesday brought Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital’s COVID fatalities to 123 since the pandemic began, spokesman Patrick Moody said Wednesday.

In November, eight COVID-19 patients died at Henry Mayo. In December, four times that many people — 34 — died at the hospital.

Henry Mayo reported 49 patient deaths due to COVID-19 in January 2021, and two fatalities so far in February, Moody confirmed.

As of Wednesday, no COVID-19 cases are pending, 63 patients were hospitalized in dedicated COVID-19 units receiving ICU-level care (down seven from Monday), and a total of 1,034 COVID-19 patients have been treated and discharged, Moody said.

The hospital releases complete statistics weekly, usually on Wednesdays, unless one or more new deaths occur.

Privacy laws prohibit Henry Mayo from releasing the community of residence for patients who die at the hospital; residence info is reported by the L.A. County Public Health COVID-19 dashboard, which generally lags 48 hours behind.

Santa Clarita Valley Wednesday Update

As of 6 p.m. Tuesday, the latest update of the L.A. County Public Health dashboard recorded 212 deaths among Santa Clarita Valley residents since the pandemic began, but did not yet include the two deaths Henry Mayo reported Wednesday.

Of the 214 SCV residents who have died, 180 lived in Santa Clarita, 12 in Castaic, six in Acton, four in Stevenson Ranch, three in unincorporated Canyon Country, three in Agua Dulce, one in Newhall, one in unincorporated Bouquet Canyon, one in Lake Hughes, one in Val Verde, and two in communities not yet named.

Of the 24,291 confirmed COVID-19 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

* City of Santa Clarita: 17,713

* Castaic: 3,436 (incl. Pitchess Detention Center & North County Correctional Facility*)

* Stevenson Ranch: 963

* Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 715

* Acton: 400

* Val Verde: 276

* Agua Dulce: 231

* Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 166

* Saugus (unincorporated portion): 122

* Elizabeth Lake: 71

* Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 64

* Bouquet Canyon: 41

* Lake Hughes: 37

* Saugus/Canyon Country: 29

* San Francisquito/Bouquet Canyon: 14

* Sand Canyon: 13

*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.

L.A. County Vaccine & Vaccination Update

While COVID-19 vaccine supply remains very limited, Public Health has built an extensive network with pharmacies, federally qualified health centers, hospitals, health clinics, and community vaccination sites, including six large-capacity sites.

* Dodger Stadium (operated by the city of Los Angeles)

* Six Flags Magic Mountain, 26101 Magic Mountain Pkwy, Valencia 91355

* California State University, Northridge, 18111 Nordhoff St, Northridge 91330

* Pomona Fairplex, 1101 W McKinley Ave, Pomona 91768

* The Forum, 3900 W Manchester Blvd, Inglewood 90305

* L.A. County Office of Education, 12830 Columbia Way, Downey 90242

State and federal authorities will open another large-capacity vaccination site at California State University, Los Angeles, targeting underserved communities, that’s due to open February 16, Gov. Newsom said Wednesday.

As the county moves through its vaccination program, Public Health officials are constantly aligning strategies to reach the most vulnerable. As a reminder, the agency is prioritizing vaccinating individuals 65 years and older, while working with its partners and the state to further plan for vaccinating additional workers in the prioritized groups.

Given the limited weekly shipments, a limited vaccine supply requires balancing priorities. While the state is updating its distribution plans, the county must also look at how best to protect the most vulnerable with the goal of reducing mortality. Officials ask for patience until the county receives all the vaccine it needs to get to everyone who wants to get vaccinated.

Public Health’s www.VaccinateLACounty.com connects residents eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations to appointment registration links and much more.

As appointments become available, residents with internet access and a computer are urged to use the website to sign up. For those without access to a computer or the internet or with disabilities, a call center is open to help schedule appointments at 833-540-0473, daily from 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

L.A. County Still Purple on State Blueprint

Along with the majority of the state, Los Angeles County is in the most restrictive purple tier in the state’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy.

To move into the red tier and have additional opportunities for re-openings, the county’s daily case rate must be at or below seven new cases per 100,00 people and the county’s test positivity rate must be at or below 8%. As of January 23, L.A. County’s adjusted case rate was 38.7 new cases per 100,000 people and the test positivity rate was 11.3%.

It is clear the county has quite a way to go before transmission is considered no longer widespread; hopefully, Public Health officials say, by following all the rules, residents can continue to make good progress slowing the spread and move into a less restrictive tier.

See more on the Blueprint for a Safer Economy later in this report.

Skilled Nursing Facilities Update

All skilled nursing facilities in L.A. County received and administered their first doses of COVID-19 vaccine. Using Public Health strike teams and teams from Curative and the City of L.A., we were able to reach all 340 skilled nursing facilities with first doses and are currently completing second doses. About 75% of staff and residents at skilled nursing facilities have been vaccinated.

Because of Public Health’s year-long efforts working with skilled nursing facilities to protect these highly vulnerable residents, the surge in cases that led to increased deaths among the general population did not have an equivalent steep increase in deaths among residents at skilled nursing facilities.

For the week ending January 23, there were, on average, about nine deaths a day at skilled nursing facilities, or about 6% of the total deaths in L.A. County from COVID-19.

Homeless Update

Since reaching a peak of cases around the Christmas holiday, there has been a 52% reduction in cases among people experiencing homelessness; from about 461 weekly cases to 219 for the week ending January 23.

This decrease seems to follow the overall decrease in cases in L.A. County. When the surge began, there were two deaths a week among people experiencing homelessness. At the peak of the surge, the county reported 17 deaths a week. For the week ending January 23, there were 11 deaths.

Public Health has worked tirelessly with our partners at the Department of Health Services, Housing for Health, and the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority to protect people experiencing homelessness from COVID-19 infections.

Incarcerated Update

Another highly vulnerable group are people who are incarcerated. Since this pandemic began, county, state, and federal authorities have worked to help reduce the potential for outbreaks at prisons and jail facilities in L.A. County.

Cases among people who are incarcerated were very high at the beginning of the pandemic and increased again during the surge. Since the peak of 688 weekly cases in mid-December, there has been a decline to three weekly cases for the period ending January 23. For the week ending January 2, there were six deaths among incarcerated persons. Since then, the weekly number of deaths has been between two and four people.

L.A. County Demographics — Deaths by Age Group

Of the 256 new deaths reported today, 69 people who passed away were over the age of 80, 92 people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79, 51 people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64, 24 people who died were between the ages of 30 and 49. Thirteen deaths were reported by the City of Long Beach and seven deaths were reported by the City of Pasadena.

L.A. County Demographics — Cases by Age Group (excluding Long Beach and Pasadena)

* 0 to 4: 21060

* 5 to 11: 51134

* 12 to 17: 63914

* 18 to 29: 254447

* 30 to 49: 356633

* 50 to 64: 205667

* 65 to 79: 811550

* over 80: 29430

* Under Investigation 6677

L.A. County Demographics — Hospitalizations by Age Group

Residents over 80 years old have consistently experienced the highest rates of hospitalization among all age groups in L.A. County followed by residents 65 to 79 years old, and residents 50 to 64 years old.

Recent data indicates obesity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes are the most common underlying health conditions among people hospitalized with COVID-19.

Many people have multiple underlying health conditions.

L.A. County Public Health’s 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 Blueprint for a Safer Economy

Governor Newsom’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy imposes risk-based criteria on tightening and loosening COVID-19 allowable activities and expands the length of time between changes to assess how any movement affects the trajectory of the disease.

With the Regional Stay at Home Order rescinded statewide as of January 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.

* 54 counties are currently in the Purple Tier (including Los Angeles County)

* 1 county is currently in the Red Tier (Mariposa)

* 3 counties are currently in the Orange Tier (Alpine, Sierra, Trinity)

* No counties are in the Yellow Tier

Blueprint tiers are updated weekly on Tuesdays. Find the status of activities in specific counties.

Hospital Surge Order

The January 15 Hospital Surge Public Health Order ensures that hospitals can continue to care for critically ill Californians suffering from COVID-19 as well as other life-threatening conditions.

The order requires hospitals statewide to accept patient transfers from facilities that have implemented contingency or crisis care guidelines as long as those transfers can be done capably and safely.

On December 28, 2020 CDPH provided guidance to health care facilities on implementing the Crisis Care Continuum Guidelines issued in June 2020.

Counties currently impacted by the Hospital Surge Order:

San Joaquin Valley: Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Merced, San Benito, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, and Tulare.

Southern California: Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Barbara, and Ventura.

Vaccinate All 58
In order to increase the pace of COVID-19 vaccine distribution to those at greatest risk, the state is prioritizing individuals 65 and older to receive the vaccine as demand subsides among health care workers. This effort will help to reduce hospitalizations and save lives.

To sign up for a notification when you’re eligible for a vaccine, visit myturn.ca.gov.

For more information on the vaccine effort, visit the Vaccinate All 58 webpage.

‘Safe Schools for All’ Plan
Governor Newsom launched the Safe Schools for All Hub as a one-stop-shop for information about safe in-person instruction.

For more information on the transparency, accountability, and assistance measures related to California’s Safe Schools for All plan, visit the hub.

Travel Advisory

California Public Health 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.

California Demographics: 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/equity/ that tracks California’s health equity measure and data by race and ethnicity, age group, and sexual orientation/gender identity.

California Testing & Turnaround Time
More than 85 community testing sites offer free, confidential testing: Find a COVID-19 Testing Site.

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 January 17 to January 23, 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. The testing turnaround time dashboard (PDF) is updated weekly.

All four tiers in the Testing Prioritization Guidance originally dated July 14, 2020, have equal priority for testing.

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)

Each week, the California Department of Public Health updates the number of cases of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) reported in the state.

As of February 1, there have been 200 cases of MIS-C reported statewide, 12 more than the previous week. To protect patient confidentiality in counties with fewer than 11 cases, we are not providing total counts at this time.

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 are critical to preventing long-term complications.

Protect Yourself and Your Family: Your Actions Save Lives

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

* Staying home except for essential needs/activities following local and state public health guidelines when patronizing approved businesses. To the extent that sectors are re-opened, Californians may leave their homes to work at, patronize, or otherwise engage with those businesses, establishments or activities.

* Avoiding non-essential travel, and practicing self-quarantine for 14 days after arrival if you leave the state.

* Keeping interactions to people 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.

* Getting tested if you believe you’ve been exposed. Free, confidential testing is available statewide.

* Getting vaccinated when it’s your turn.

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

* Answering the call if a contact tracer from the CA COVID Team or local health department tries to connect.

* Following guidance from public health officials.

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 healthcare provider before seeking medical care so that appropriate precautions can be taken.

It’s important if someone thinks they could be positive for COVID-19 and are awaiting testing results to stay at home and act as if they are positive. This means self-isolating for 10 days and 72 hours after symptoms and fever subside.

If a person tests positive for COVID-19, they should plan on receiving a call from a public health specialist to discuss how to protect themselves and others, find out where they may have been, and who they were in close contact with while infectious.

California COVID-19 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.

* 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)

Consolidated guidance is available on the California Department of Public Health’s Guidance webpage.

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Always check with trusted sources for the latest accurate information about novel coronavirus (COVID-19):

* Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

* California Department of Public Health

* Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

* Spanish

* World Health Organization

* Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 Dashboard

L.A. County residents can also call 2-1-1.

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