The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed Wednesday nine new deaths and 1,315 new cases of COVID-19, with 28,658 total cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.

To date, Public Health identified 1,261,068 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 24,563 deaths. This is the sixth consecutive day where more than 1,000 new cases have been reported. Of the nine new deaths reported today, three people that passed away were over the age of 80, two people who passed were between the ages of 65 and 79, one person who passed was between the ages of 50 and 64, and three people who passed were between the ages of 30 and 49.

Wednesday’s test positivity rate is 3.7%, an increase from last week’s rate of 2.3%.

There are 398 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized; an increase from the 275 hospitalizations reported last Wednesday. Testing results are available for more than 7,134,000 individuals with 16% of people testing positive.

Due in part to their high COVID-19 vaccination rates, cases at skilled nursing facilities remain significantly lower than cases reported during late-December when more than 2,532 people tested positive for COVID-19 in a week; 1,423 cases among residents and 1,109 cases among staff.  For the week ending July 4, nearly 25,000 COVID-19 tests were completed among skilled nursing facility staff and residents and 24 people tested positive for COVID-19; 5 new cases among residents and 19 new cases among staff. Currently, 84% of skilled nursing facility staff and 84% of skilled nursing facility residents are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

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

Santa Clarita Valley Wednesday Update
As of 5:00 p.m. Wednesday, the L.A. County Public Health dashboard remained unchanged from Monday, with a total of 309 COVID-19 related deaths in the SCV since the pandemic began.

The following is the community breakdown of the 308 SCV residents who have died, according to the L.A. County dashboard:

266 in Santa Clarita

16 in Castaic (**revised from 17)

6 in Acton

6 in Stevenson Ranch

4 in unincorporated Canyon Country

3 in Agua Dulce

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 28,658 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 20,987

Castaic: 3,804

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

Stevenson Ranch: 1,197

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 870

Acton: 504

Val Verde: 343

Agua Dulce: 294

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 202

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 135

Elizabeth Lake: 82

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 69

Bouquet Canyon: 49

Saugus/Canyon Country: 44

Lake Hughes: 42

Sand Canyon: 18

San Francisquito/Bouquet Canyon: 15

Placerita Canyon: 3

*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

At the time of posting Henry Mayo’s updated numbers had not been released, the following is the most recent update from the hospital:

As of Tuesday, Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital had zero cases pending, 12 patients hospitalized, a total of 1,264 patients treated and discharged since the pandemic began, and no additional deaths, hospital spokesman Patrick Moody confirmed.

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

“We wish healing and peace to the families and friends grieving a loved one who passed away from or is hospitalized with COVID-19,” said Muntu Davis, MD, MPH, County Health Officer.  “While 61% of eligible County residents 16 and older are fully vaccinated, we have millions of L.A. County residents who have not been or are not eligible to be vaccinated, including 1.3 million children under 12 years of age. If you are not vaccinated, consider getting your vaccination now to increase protection for you and for those who can’t be vaccinated. Wearing a face mask when the vaccination status of the people you are around is unknown can help prevent transmission. The best way to reduce your risk of infection and, if infected, serious illness from COVID-19 is to be fully vaccinated against it.”

People are more likely to get infected and spread the virus when in indoors, where the virus is transmitted through the air and concentrates. Consistent and correct mask use by people indoors adds a layer of protection and can reduce the risk of COVID-19 and other respiratory infections, according to Public Health.

At the current number of daily new cases and with continued circulation of the more easily spread Delta variant of this virus, Public Health strongly urges everyone, as a proactive and precautionary measure, to wear masks when in any indoor setting or business where vaccination verification is not required and the vaccination status of others is unknown.

Public Health encourages everyone unvaccinated for COVID-19 to get fully vaccinated as the start of school year gets near. If you begin your two-dose series for the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines this week, it may allow enough time to be fully protected by the start of the school year depending on the school. For all of the vaccines, you are only considered fully protected two weeks after all doses are complete.

Through Thursday, at County-run vaccination sites, LA City sites, and St. John’s Well Child and Family Center sites, everyone 18 and older coming to get a vaccine will have an opportunity to win one of seven packages of concert tickets. Prizes will include tickets to see Celine Dion, Grupo Firma, Kane Brown, Luke Bryan, and Dan and Shay at Staples Center, and box seats to four classical concerts at the Hollywood Bowl. Official rules and participating site locations are posted online on the Los Angeles Vaccination Sweepstakes page. Winners will be contacted by phone and/or email.

Through Thursday, at County-run vaccination sites, LA City sites, and St. John’s Well Child and Family Center sites, everyone 18 and older coming to get a vaccine will have an opportunity to win one of seven packages of concert tickets. Prizes will include tickets to see Celine Dion, Grupo Firma, Kane Brown, Luke Bryan, and Dan and Shay at Staples Center, and box seats to four classical concerts at the Hollywood Bowl. Official rules and participating site locations are posted online on the Los Angeles Vaccination Sweepstakes page. Winners will be contacted by phone and/or email. line on the Los Angeles County Vaccination Sweepstakes page. Winners will be contacted by phone and/or email.

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 3,740,092 cases and 63,508 deaths to date. There are 1,648 confirmed hospitalizations and 359 ICU hospitalizations in the state.

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

There were 3,093 newly reported confirmed cases Tuesday.

The 7-day positivity rate is 3.0%.

There have been 71,222,071 tests conducted in California. This represents an increase of 81,537 during the prior 24-hour reporting period.

As of July 14, providers have reported administering a total of 42,620,086 vaccine doses statewide. The CDC reports that 48,637,435 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 Workers

As of July 13, local health departments have reported 114,024 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 477 deaths statewide.

Vaccine Eligibility Update

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 June 27 to July 3, the average time patients waited for test results was under one day. During this same time period, 87% of patients received test results in one day and 97% received them within two days.

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)

As of July 12, there have been 570 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.