Los Angeles County Department of Public Health officials on Wednesday confirmed 21 new deaths and 287 new cases of COVID-19 countywide, with Santa Clarita cases totaling 27,744.

Of the 21 new deaths reported today, six people that passed away were over the age of 80, 10 people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79, three people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64, and two people who died were between the ages of 30 and 49.

To date, Public Health identified 1,234,372 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 23,948 deaths.

There are 400 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 25% of these people are in the ICU. COVID-19 testing results are available for nearly 6,535,000 individuals with 18% of people testing positive. Today’s daily test positivity rate is 0.7%.

The Los Angeles County Health Officer Order will be updated today to reflect newly permitted activities allowed in the yellow tier, beginning tomorrow, Thursday, May 6 at 12:01 a.m. Additional safety modifications are required or recommended for some sectors.

The modifications to the Health Officer Order include the following:

Amusement/Theme Parks/Fairs can increase capacity to 35%. Fully vaccinated out of state visitors are permitted.

Bars that do not provide meals can operate indoors at 25% capacity or 100 people, whichever is fewer. Masking always required, except when eating or drinking; drinking and eating only while seated. Tables must be at least 6 feet apart and no counter seating/service. Maximum of 6 people from one household per table; if everyone in a group is vaccinated, 6 people can sit together from up to 6 different households. TV viewing is permitted. No live entertainment permitted indoors. Outdoors tables can have a maximum 8 persons per table from up to 3 different households; if everyone in a group is vaccinated, 8 people sit together from up to 8 different households. Live entertainment and TV viewing permitted outdoors. No counter seating/service.

Breweries, Wineries, Distilleries that do not serve meals can increase indoors capacity to 50% or 200 people, whichever is fewer. No live entertainment permitted indoors. These establishments will follow the same public health directives as bars for their outdoor areas.

Restaurants can increase capacity for indoor dining to 50% capacity with continued safety modifications. There must be 6 feet distancing between tables. Maximum of 6 people from one household per table; if everyone in a group is vaccinated, 6 people can sit together from up to 6 different households.

Cardrooms/Racetracks/Satellite Wagering Facilities can operate indoors at 50% capacity. There must be 6-feet of distancing between tables and masks are always required. Food and beverages remain banned at the tables.

Fitness Centers can operate indoors at 50% capacity. Masks are always required unless swimming.

Movie Theatres can operate at 50% capacity. Reserved seating only where each group is seated with at least 6 feet of distance between any other groups (in all directions); capacity is limited to ensure that there is at least 6 feet of distance between groups. Seating sections can be established for fully vaccinated people without 6 feet distancing requirements provided there is 3 feet of distance between these sections and other seats in the theatre. Eating is allowed in only designated areas or in your reserved seat.

Family Entertainment Centers can operate at 50% capacity, 75% if all guests are tested or show proof of full vaccination. Masks are required.
Grocery and Retail Stores capacity remains limited to 75% with continued requirement for distancing of at least 6 feet between customers.

Hair Salons, Barbershops and Personal Care Services can operate at 75% capacity with masks required, except for services where customers need to remove their masks. For services where customers must remove their face coverings, staff must wear a fitted N95 mask or a face covering with a face shield.
Museums, Zoos and Aquariums can be open indoors at 75% capacity with safety modifications.

Waterparks can operate at 40% capacity with safety modifications.

Youth and Adult Recreational Sports and Community Sporting Events can apply to Public Health for approval for athletic events, tournaments or competitions that involve more than two teams or multiple individuals. Indoor moderate and high contact sports are permitted following Collegiate Sports Protocols, which includes regular testing.

Live Event and Performance Indoor venues up to 1,500 guests can operate at a maximum of 25% capacity or 50% if guests are tested or show proof of full vaccination. Venues with 1,501 guests and above can operate at 10% capacity of 2,000 people; whichever is fewer or 50% capacity for tested or fully vaccinated guests.

Live Event and Performance Outdoor venues can expand to 67% capacity with safety modifications.

Public Health reminds everyone to celebrate Cinco de Mayo safely. Please avoid large crowds, celebrate outdoors, and wear your mask at all times except when eating and drinking. Alcohol lowers inhibitions, please drink responsibly and safely to protect yourself and others and never drink and drive. There continues to be higher risk of COVID-19 transmission among unvaccinated people. Intermingling with others who are not vaccinated and unmasked increases the possibility of virus transmission.

California Tuesday Snapshot

California has 3,646,729 confirmed cases to date. Numbers may not represent true day-over-day change as reporting of test results can be delayed.

 There were 1,388 newly recorded confirmed cases Tuesday.

 The 7-day positivity rate is 1.2%.

 There have been 60,949,750 tests conducted in California. This represents an increase of 91,130 during the prior 24-hour reporting period.

 There have been 60,862 COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

 As of May 5, providers have reported administering a total of 31,027,617 vaccine doses statewide. The CDC reports that 39,615,330 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 May 3, local health departments have reported 107,899 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 456 deaths statewide.

Santa Clarita Valley Wednesday Update
As of 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, the L.A. County Public Health dashboard remained unchanged from Monday, recording a total of 303 deaths (revised from 304 deaths on Friday 4/30/2021) among Santa Clarita Valley residents.

The following is the community breakdown of the 303 SCV residents who have died, according to the L.A. County dashboard:

260 in Santa Clarita

*revised from 261 Friday 4/30/2021*

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 27,737 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 20,320

Castaic: 3,729

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

Stevenson Ranch: 1,138

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 841

Acton: 470

Val Verde: 337

Agua Dulce: 280

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

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 130

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 Tuesday Update
As of Tuesday, there were zero cases pending, one patient was hospitalized in a dedicated COVID-19 unit, and a total of 1,229 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.

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 the families grieving the loss of a loved one to COVID-19, we send you our deepest sympathies and keep you in our thoughts every day,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “The best way to participate in more activities is to be vaccinated if you are 16 years old or older. This makes it much safer to enjoy graduations, celebrations, and gatherings with family and friends. This is also how we prevent more variants from circulating and threatening our recovery.”

COVID-19 vaccinations are available at County-run sites and many community sites without an appointment. Visit: www.VaccinateLACounty.com (English) and www.VacunateLosAngeles.com (Spanish) to find a vaccination site near you, to make an appointment at vaccination sites, and much more. 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. There may be an extended wait time to speak with an operator for help making an appointment during high demand times. 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.

Updated Face Coverings Guidance

Today CDPH updated its November 16, 2020 face coverings guidance to align with the latest CDC guidance. Face coverings are not required outdoors except when attending crowded outdoor events when physical distancing is not possible. For small outdoor gatherings, fully vaccinated persons are not required to wear face coverings while unvaccinated persons do. Regardless of vaccination status, face coverings are required indoors with a few exceptions.

Updated Guidance for Fully Vaccinated Persons

CDPH also updated the April 15, 2021 guidance for fully vaccinated persons to clarify that Cal/OSHA COVID-19 Prevention Emergency Temporary Standards related to the quarantine of fully vaccinated individuals applies to workplaces that are not healthcare settings. Fully vaccinated people can spend time with other fully vaccinated persons from a single household who are at low-risk for severe COVID-19 disease, including indoors, without wearing a face covering or physically distancing. Follow the updated face coverings guidance.

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

Individuals age 16+ are eligible to make an appointment to be vaccinated. Visit myturn.ca.gov to make an appointment or visit Vaccinate All 58 to learn more about the safe and effective vaccines available.

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 May 4

0 counties in the Purple (widespread) Tier

12 counties in the Red (substantial) Tier

39 counties in Orange (moderate) Tier

7 counties in Yellow (minimal) Tier

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

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 18 to April 24, the average time patients waited for test results was just under one day. During this same time period, 83% of patients received test results in one day and 98% 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.

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.