The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed Wednesday 31 new deaths and 341 new cases of COVID-19, with 27,688 total cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.

To date, Public Health identified 1,232,373 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 23,831 deaths.

Of the 31 new deaths reported Wednesday, 10 people that passed away were over the age of 80, nine people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79, seven people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64, and two people who died were between the ages of 30 and 49. Three deaths were reported by the City of Pasadena.

There are 408 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 27% of these people are in the ICU. Testing results are available for more than 6,460,000 individuals with 18% of people testing positive. Wednesday’s daily test positivity rate is 0.8%.

Skilled Nursing Facilities
Cases at skilled nursing facilities have plummeted since vaccines were approved for emergency use. For the week of April 17, nearly 45,000 COVID-19 tests were completed among staff and residents and only 26 people tested positive for COVID-19; 6 new cases among residents and 17 new cases among staff. For comparison, the week beginning December 28, 2020, a total of 2,532 people tested positive for COVID-19; 1,423 cases among residents and 1,109 cases among staff.

As of April 17, 83% of skilled nursing facility staff and 83% of residents received at least the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Among those who had received the first dose, 96% of staff and 91% of residents have received their second dose and are fully vaccinated. These numbers only reflect reported rates among current residents, not the total number of residents who have been vaccinated. There is high turnover rate among residents in these facilities.

California Wednesday Snapshot
The California Department of Public Health confirmed Wednesday 3,634,778 confirmed cases and 60,273 deaths to date. There are 1,755 confirmed hospitalizations and 424 ICU hospitalizations in the state.

Numbers may not represent true day-over-day change as reporting of test results can be delayed.

There were 1,593 newly recorded confirmed cases Tuesday.

The 7-day positivity rate is 1.3%.

There have been 59,621,509 tests conducted in California. This represents an increase of 137,384 during the prior 24-hour reporting period.

As of April 28, providers have reported administering a total of 29,000,025 vaccine doses statewide. The CDC reports that 36,887,890 doses have been delivered to entities within the state. Numbers do not represent true day-to-day change as reporting may be delayed. For more vaccination data, visit the COVID-19 Vaccine Data Dashboard.

Health Care Worker Infection Rates
As of April 27, local health departments have reported 107,190 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 452 deaths statewide.

Santa Clarita Valley Wednesday Update
As of 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, the L.A. County Public Health dashboard recorded two more additional deaths among Santa Clarita Valley residents, bringing the total number of SCV deaths to 304.

The following is the community breakdown of the 304 SCV residents who have died, according to the L.A. County dashboard:

261 in Santa Clarita

18 in Castaic

6 in Acton

6 in Stevenson Ranch

3 in Agua Dulce

3 in unincorporated Canyon Country

1 in unincorporated Bouquet Canyon

1 in Elizabeth Lake

1 in Lake Hughes

1 in Newhall

1 in unincorporated Saugus/Canyon Country

1 in Valencia

1 in Val Verde

Of the 27,688 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 20,273

Castaic: 3,727

(includes Pitchess Detention Center and North County Correctional Facility*)

Stevenson Ranch: 1,137

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 840

Acton: 470

Val Verde: 336

Agua Dulce: 278

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 193

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 128

Elizabeth Lake: 76

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 68

Bouquet Canyon: 47

Lake Hughes: 42

Saugus/Canyon Country: 40

Sand Canyon: 17

San Francisquito/Bouquet Canyon: 15

Placerita Canyon: 1

*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.

Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital Wednesday Update
As of Wednesday, there were zero cases pending, five patients were hospitalized in a dedicated COVID-19 unit, and a total of 1,223 patients had been treated and discharged since the pandemic began, hospital spokesman Patrick Moody said.

There were no additional deaths, keeping the total deaths at 147 people to date. The most recent death was March 21.

“As you can see from the number of patients we have here, the pandemic is not yet over,” Moody recently said. “We encourage everyone to remain cautious and follow safe practices.”

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.

L.A. County

“To everyone who has lost a friend or loved one to COVID-19, we send you our deepest condolences,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “Where we see high rates of vaccination, we are seeing transmission of COVID-19 plummet. Each person that is vaccinated has the best protection against COVID-19. Throughout the pandemic individuals have taken actions, like masking and distancing, that have protected not only themselves but protected others; getting vaccinated is no different – not only are you protecting yourself, you are doing your part to stop transmission and prevent hospitalizations and deaths. While millions of County residents are fully vaccinated, we still have a way to go to get to a level of vaccinations that will make COVID-19 no longer a threat. Encourage your family and friends not yet vaccinated to get vaccinated.”

No appointments are needed at county-run mass vaccination sites through Thursday, April 29 while supply lasts. Everyone 16 and older living or working in L.A. County can walk-in and get vaccinated. You should bring a photo ID with you and teens 16 and 17 should be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

For information about vaccine appointments in L.A. County and when your turn is coming up, to sign up for a vaccination newsletter, and much more, visit www.VaccinateLACounty.com (English) and www.VacunateLosAngeles.com (Spanish).

The 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 Wednesday

Water Parks Guidance Released
The state has released guidance for water parks, which supports a safe, clean environment for workers and customers. Attendance at water parks is limited based on county risk levels. Use of face coverings is mandatory throughout parks in all settings indoor and outdoor, unless actively eating and/or drinking, or while on a ride or in a setting that would cause the face covering to become wet.

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

Vaccine Eligibility Update

As of April 15, individuals aged 16+ are eligible to make an appointment to be vaccinated. To sign up for a notification when you’re eligible for a vaccine, please visit myturn.ca.gov. For more information on the vaccine effort, visit Vaccinate All 58.

Blueprint for a Safer Economy
All counties are 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. As always, local public health departments may implement policies that are more restrictive than the state.

Blueprint Summary as of April 27

0 counties in the Purple (widespread) Tier

13 counties in the Red (substantial) Tier

41 counties in Orange (moderate) Tier

4 counties in Yellow (minimal) Tier

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

Additional Date and Updates

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

New Testing Turnaround Time Dashboard
The testing turnaround dashboard reports how long California patients are waiting for COVID-19 test results. During the week of April 11 to April 17, the average time patients waited for test results was just under one day. During this same time period, 84% of patients received test results in one day and 99% received them within two days.

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)
As of April 26, there have been 491 cases Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) have been 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.

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 is critical to preventing long-term complications.

Popular links include:

– 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)

Your Actions Save Lives
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.

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.