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1910 - Newhall (Auto) Tunnel opens, bypassing Beale's Cut [story]
Newhall Tunnel


Officials from Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital reported two additional death Wednesday from COVID-19, bringing the hospital total to 159 since the start of the pandemic. In addition, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed Wednesday 36 new deaths and 3,322 new cases of COVID-19 countywide, with 32,631 total cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.

Unvaccinated People 29 Times More Likely To Be Hospitalized By COVID-19

Los Angeles County data shows that the COVID-19 infection rate among unvaccinated persons was 4.9 times and the hospitalization rate was 29.2 times the rates of fully vaccinated people in Los Angeles County on July 25, 2021. Fully vaccinated people with COVID-19 infection were significantly less likely than unvaccinated persons to be hospitalized, to be admitted to an intensive care unit, to require mechanical ventilation, or to die from COVID-19 infection.

This comes from a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report in which the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) analyzed data for laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 reported from testing laboratories and from the California Immunization Registry 2 (CAIR2) to describe age-adjusted infection and hospitalization rates between May 1, 2021 and July 25, 2021 by vaccination status.

The findings in this report are similar to those from recent studies indicating that COVID-19 vaccination protects against severe COVID-19 in areas with increasing prevalence of the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant. They highlight that efforts to enhance COVID-19 vaccination coverage, in coordination with other prevention strategies, are critical to preventing COVID-19–related hospitalizations and deaths

Of the 36 new deaths reported today, 11 people who passed away were over the age of 80, nine people who passed were between the ages of 65 and 79, five people who passed were between the ages of 50 and 64, and eight people who passed were between the ages of 30 and 49. Three deaths were reported by the City of Long Beach.

To date, Public Health identified 1,391,363 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 25,150 deaths. There are 1,747 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 27% of these people are in the ICU. Testing results are available for nearly 8,000,000 individuals with 16% of people testing positive. Today’s test positivity rate is 2.9%

**More from Los Angeles County Public Health further below**

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 Wednesday Update
Along with the two additional deaths the hospital reported Wednesday, hospital spokesman Patrick Moody also confirmed the hospital had zero tests pending, 39 patients hospitalized, a total of 1,407 patients 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.

“We strongly encourage all who are eligible for vaccination to get vaccinated, to protect themselves and their loved ones.” Moody said in a statement Wednesday  “We hope that the recent full FDA approval of the Pfizer vaccine will motivate those who had been waiting for this development.”

Santa Clarita Valley Wednesday Update
As of 5:00 p.m. Wednesday, the L.A. County Public Health dashboard remained unchanged from Monday with 313 COVID-19 deaths in the Santa Clarita Valley to date.

The following is the community breakdown of the 313 SCV residents who have died, according to the L.A. County dashboard:

269 in Santa Clarita

15 in Castaic (**revised from 16. But 18 initially)

8 in Acton

6 in Stevenson Ranch

5 in unincorporated Canyon Country

3 in Agua Dulce

1 in unincorporated Bouquet Canyon

1 in Elizabeth Lake

1 in Newhall

1 in unincorporated Saugus/Canyon Country

1 in Valencia

1 in Val Verde

0 in Lake Hughes (**revised from 1)

SCV Cases

Of the 32,631 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 24,391

Castaic: 3,608 (includes Pitchess Detention Center and North County Correctional Facility*)

Stevenson Ranch: 1,502

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 1010

Acton: 634

Val Verde: 386

Agua Dulce: 352

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 243

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 155

Elizabeth Lake: 93

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 70

Bouquet Canyon: 58

Saugus/Canyon Country: 46

Lake Hughes: 45 (revised from 46)

Sand Canyon: 19

San Francisquito/Bouquet Canyon: 15

Placerita Canyon: 4

*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 COVID-19L.A. County

“To the families and friends that are grieving the loss of their loved one to COVID-19, we send you our deepest condolences,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “The data continues to provide reassurance that fully vaccinated people are protected from severe COVID-19 illness. Together we must continue to increase COVID-19 vaccinations, in coordination with other prevention strategies like masking, testing, contact tracing, and quarantine; these efforts are critical to preventing COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths.”

Public Health encourages everyone who is eligible to get vaccinated – it is the most important step you can take to protect yourself, your loved ones, and our L.A. County community and to ultimately end this pandemic.

Anyone 12 and older living or working in L.A. County can get vaccinated against COVID-19. Many vaccination sites across the county, including all the County-run sites, are also offering third doses of vaccine to eligible immunocompromised people. Vaccinations are always free and open to eligible residents and workers regardless of immigration status.

Many vaccination sites across the county, including all the County-run sites, are also offering third doses of vaccine to eligible immunocompromised people. To find a vaccination site near you, to make an appointment at vaccination sites, and much more, Visit: www.VaccinateLACounty.com (English) and www.VacunateLosAngeles.com (Spanish) If you don’t have internet access, can’t use a computer, or you’re over 65, you can call 1-833-540-0473 for help finding an appointment or scheduling a home-visit if you are homebound. Vaccinations are always free and open to eligible residents and workers regardless of immigration status.

County Reopening Protocols, COVID-19 Vaccine Dashboard, COVID-19 Surveillance Interactive Dashboard, Roadmap to Recovery, Recovery Dashboard, and additional actions you can take to protect yourself, your family and your community are on the Public Health website, www.publichealth.lacounty.gov.

California Wednesday

 

California Department of Public Health confirmed Wednesday 4,145,550  cases and 64,802 deaths to date. There are 8,303 confirmed hospitalizations and 2,012 ICU hospitalizations in the state.

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

There were 11,899 newly reported confirmed cases Tuesday.

Cases are increasing statewide, largely among unvaccinated populations.

– For the week  of August 16 – August 22, the average case rate among unvaccinated Californians is 51 per 100,000 per day and the average case rate among vaccinated Californians is significantly lower at 7.2 per 100,000 per day.

– The vast majority of new cases are among the unvaccinated with 708% higher case rates among the unvaccinated than for those who are vaccinated.

The 7-day positivity rate is 5.4%.

There have been 79,973,561 tests conducted in California. This represents an increase of 262,080 during the prior 24-hour reporting period.

As of Aug. 25, according to the CDC, 79.6% of eligible Californians have received at least one dose. Providers have reported to CDPH that a total of 46,269,592 vaccine doses have been administered statewide. 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 Workers

As of Aug 24, local health departments have reported 120,389 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 488 deaths statewide.

Stop the Spread: Get Vaccinated for COVID-19

The risk for COVID-19 exposure and infection continues as a number of Californians remain unvaccinated. With the emergence of the more transmissible Delta variant, there is a renewed urgency to get all eligible Californians vaccinated as quickly as possible and complete their two-dose vaccination process if they are receiving Pfizer or Moderna.

CDPH is reminding unvaccinated Californians that the COVID-19 vaccine is safe, free and provides excellent protection from severe COVID-19 illness, including the Delta variant, hospitalization, and death.

Individuals aged 12+ are eligible for vaccination. Visit myturn.ca.gov to make an appointment. Individuals aged 17 and younger may need the consent of a parent or legal guardian for vaccination. Visit Vaccinate All 58 to learn more about the safe and effective vaccines available.

Testing Turnaround Time

The testing turnaround time dashboard reports how long California patients are waiting for COVID-19 test results. During the week of Aug. 15 to Aug. 21, the average time patients waited for test results was one day. During this same time period, 70% of patients received test results in one day and 91% received them within two days.

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)

As of Aug. 23. there have been 596 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.

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