Los Angeles County Public Health officials on Wednesday confirmed 41 new deaths and 1,750 new cases of COVID-19 countywide, with 35,403 total cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.

Of the 41 new deaths reported today, nine people who passed away were over the age of 80, 12 people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79, nine people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64, and six people who died were between the ages of 30 and 49. Five deaths were reported by the City of Long Beach.

To date, Public Health identified 1,448,065 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 25,911 deaths.

There are 1,018 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 31% of these people are in the ICU. Testing results are available for nearly 8,510,000 individuals with 16% of people testing positive. Today’s test positivity rate is 1.7%.

Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital Wednesday Update

Currently, there are no tests pending, 29 patients in the hospital, and a total of 1,502 patients who have been treated and discharged with no additional deaths keeping the total number of COVID-19 deaths to 167 since the onset of the pandemic, hospital spokesman Patrick Moody confirmed.

“You’ll see we’ve gone from 22 hospitalized patients to 29 in less than a week. We continue to strongly encourage all who are eligible to get vaccinated. According to the CDC, ‘COVID-19 vaccination helps protect people from getting sick or severely ill with COVID-19 and might also help protect people around them’” Moody said in a statement Wednesday.

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.

Nursing Facility Case Numbers In Decline

In parallel with the overall trend in Los Angeles County, COVID-19 case numbers among staff and residents at skilled nursing facilities increased in early-July through mid-August and have begun to decline in the past few weeks.

During the week ending August 8, 123 cases were reported among residents and staff at skilled nursing facilities. For the week ending September 12, 55 people tested positive for COVID-19 at skilled nursing facilities: 20 new cases were among skilled nursing facility residents and 35 new cases among skilled nursing facility staff. Over the past three weeks, an average of 65 new cases were reported among staff and residents at skilled nursing facilities.

Currently, 88% of residents and 90% of staff at skilled nursing facilities are fully vaccinated. Skilled nursing facilities are subject to strict infection control precautions and are also required to verify the vaccine status of all workers and conduct routine testing of staff and residents. By September 30, healthcare workers, including staff at skilled nursing facilities, are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

“We wish healing and peace to the families and friends grieving a loved one who passed away from COVID-19,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “The decline in cases at skilled nursing facilities is welcomed news and reflects the high vaccination coverage at these facilities along with the stringent infection control measures. We continue to prioritize and support skilled nursing facilities with third doses for those residents who are immunocompromised and are prepared to ramp up these efforts once boosters are approved. The decline in cases and deaths at nursing homes is an important reminder of just how powerful the vaccines are in preventing serious illness and death from COVID-19.”

Virtual Town Hall

Public Health will host a Virtual Town Hall on COVID-19 on Thursday, September 23, at 6:00 p.m. Join the town hall to get the latest updates on COVID-19. The town hall will be streamed live on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube @lapublichealth. For more information and to submit a question, visit TinyURL.com/LACOVIDTownHall

Santa Clarita Valley Wednesday Update

As of 6 p.m. Sunday, the L.A. County Public Health COVID-19 dashboard confirmed a total of 328 COVID-19 related deaths in the SCV since the pandemic began.

The following is the community breakdown of the 331 SCV residents who have died, according to the L.A. County dashboard:

279 in Santa Clarita

20 in Castaic

9 in Acton

7 in Stevenson Ranch

6 in unincorporated Canyon Country

3 in Agua Dulce

2 in Val Verde

1 in unincorporated Bouquet Canyon

1 in Elizabeth Lake

1 in Newhall

1 in unincorporated Saugus/Canyon Country

1 in Valencia

0 in Lake Hughes (**revised from 1)

Cases:

Of the 35,403 confirmed COVID-19 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 26,021

Castaic: 4,338 (incl. Pitchess Detention Center & North County Correctional Facility*)

Stevenson Ranch: 1,615

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 1,110

Acton: 716

Val Verde: 414

Agua Dulce: 384

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 264

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 161

Elizabeth Lake: 105

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 70

Bouquet Canyon: 62

Lake Hughes: 52

Saugus/Canyon Country: 47

Sand Canyon: 22

San Francisquito/Bouquet Canyon: 18

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.

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:

California Wednesday Snapshot

California Department of Public Health confirmed Wednesday 4,434,696 cases and 66,774 deaths to date.

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

There were 6,579 newly reported confirmed cases Tuesday.

As of Sept. 21, local health departments have reported 124,257 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 499 deaths statewide.

Cases are increasing statewide, largely among unvaccinated populations:

– For the week of September 5 – 11, the average case rate among unvaccinated Californians age 16 or older is 62.83 per 100,000 per day and the average case rate among vaccinated Californians age 16 or older is significantly lower at 7.95 per 100,000 per day.

– The great majority of new cases are among unvaccinated individuals. The rate among the unvaccinated is 8 times the rate among the vaccinated.

The 7-day positivity rate is 2.9%.

There have been 89,905,947 tests conducted in California. This represents an increase of 268,385 during the prior 24-hour reporting period.

As of Sept. 22, according to the CDC, 83% of eligible Californians have received at least one dose. Providers have reported to CDPH that a total of 48,792,111 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.

See more California information later in this report.

L.A. County Vaccine Update

Vaccinations are always free and open to eligible residents and workers regardless of immigration status.
Visit: www.VaccinateLACounty.com (English) and www.VacunateLosAngeles.com (Spanish) to learn how to make an appointment at vaccination sites. 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. Vaccinations are always free and open to eligible residents and workers regardless of immigration status.

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.

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 Sept. 20, there have been 610 cases of MIS-C have been reported statewide (**revised from 596).

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.

Although very rare, COVID-19 cases among children can sometimes result a few weeks later in very serious illness known as Multi-symptom Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C).

Vaccine Eligibility

As of May 13, vaccination appointments for individuals aged 12+ can be made by visiting myturn.ca.gov. The consent of a parent or legal guardian may be needed for those between the ages of 12 and 17 to receive a vaccination. For more information on the vaccine effort, visit Vaccinate All 58.

Tracking COVID-19 in California

* State Dashboard – Daily COVID-19 data

* County Map – Local data

* Data and Tools – Models and dashboards for researchers, scientists, and the public

* 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

California Testing & Turnaround Time

The testing turnaround time dashboardreports how long California patients are waiting for COVID-19 test results.

During the week of Sept. 5 to Sept. 11, the average time patients waited for test results was 1.3 days. During this same time period, 70% of patients received test results in one day and 90% received them within two days.

Protect Yourself and Your Family: Your Actions Save Lives

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

* Getting vaccinated when it’s your turn. Californians age 16+ are eligible to make an appointment.

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

* Keeping interactions limited 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.

* 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.

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

* 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.

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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