header image

[Sign Up Now] to Receive Our FREE Daily SCVTV-SCVNews Digest by E-Mail

Inside
Weather


 
Calendar
Today in
S.C.V. History
March 19
1875, 1:35PM - Outlaw Tiburcio Vasquez hanged in San Jose [story]
Tiburcio Vasquez


The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed Wednesday 15 new deaths and 2,454 new cases of COVID-19 countywide, with 29,668 total cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.

There are 891 people with COVID -19 currently hospitalized and 22% of these people are in the ICU. An increase in hospitalizations typically occurs two to three weeks after cases increase. Currently, 0.21% of positive cases are hospitalized; this is much lower than the 5.76% of cases hospitalized during the winter surge.

To date, Public Health has identified 1,290,226 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County. Testing results are available for over 7,279,000 individuals with 16% of people testing positive. Wednesday’s daily test positivity rate is 6.05%. This is the first time since early February that the daily test positivity rate surpassed 6%.

Of the new deaths reported today, seven people that passed away were over the age of 80, one person that passed away was between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, three people who passed away were between the ages of 50 and 64 years old, three people who died were between the ages of 30 and 49 years old, and one person that died was between the ages of 18 and 29 years old.

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

Santa Clarita Valley Wednesday Update
As of 5:30 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 309 SCV residents who have died, according to the L.A. County dashboard:

267 in Santa Clarita

16 in Castaic (**revised initially from 18)

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 29,668 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 21,755

Castaic: 3,885

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

Stevenson Ranch: 1,266

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 905

Acton: 517

Val Verde: 351

Agua Dulce: 306

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 214

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 139

Elizabeth Lake: 84

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 69

Bouquet Canyon: 51

Saugus/Canyon Country: 46

Lake Hughes: 43

Sand Canyon: 18

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.

Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital Wednesday Update
On Wednesday, the hospital reported one additional death, zero tests pending, 22 patients hospitalized, a total of 1,282 patients treated and discharged since the pandemic began, hospital spokesman Patrick Moody confirmed.

To date, there have been 152 deaths since the pandemic began.

“As we have stated before, the most effective way to prevent a stay in the hospital for COVID-19 is to get vaccinated,” said Moody.

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 COVID-19L.A. County

“For all of those in our County who have lost a loved one to COVID-19, we extend our deepest condolences to you and your family,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “With the highest case rates occurring among people ages 18 to 49 years old, who comprise much of our workforce, workplaces can easily contribute to the spread of the virus. Unvaccinated employees interacting with other workers or the public, are at elevated risk for COVID infection that can then spread easily from worksite to family members and to community residents.”

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is currently investigating 140 ongoing outbreaks; a 155% increase from the 55 ongoing outbreak investigations reported the week of July 12. Of the outbreak investigations reported today, 40% are related to outbreaks in non-healthcare and non-residential workplaces. Outbreaks in non-residential settings have seen a 5-fold increase since July 12. Non-residential settings include workplaces, food and retail stores, and places of worship.

While the increase in outbreak investigations is concerning, Public Health notes the number of outbreaks is still much lower than the 1,130 outbreak investigations that were reported in mid-February.

L.A. County already requires masking indoors in all public settings and K-12 schools; with increased vaccinations and indoor masking, the County should be able to return to lower rates of transmission.

L.A. County has administered nearly 11 million total vaccine doses to residents 12 years and older, including more than 6 million first doses and nearly 4.9 million second doses. This means more than 6.1 million LA County residents have received one dose, and more than 5.3 million are fully vaccinated. Among County residents 12 and older, almost 70% have received at least one dose of vaccine, and 61% are fully vaccinated.

Now through Thursday, July 29 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 tickets to an array of concerts presented by AEG.?

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 Tuesday

ON Wednesday, given an uptick in new cases fueled by the highly transmissible Delta variant, the CDC updated its guidance to recommend all teachers, staff and students in K-12 schools wear masks, even if they are fully vaccinated. Children should return to full-time, in-person learning in the fall with layered prevention strategies in place, including masking and vaccination, if they are eligible. There is consensus among all leading authorities—including the CDC, CDPH, and the American Academy of Pediatrics—that universal masking is the safest and surest approach to full in-person instruction.

California Department of Public Health confirmed Wednesday 3,822,551 cases and 63,849 deaths to date. There are 3,565 confirmed hospitalizations and 770 ICU hospitalizations in the state.

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

There were 6,849 newly reported confirmed cases Tuesday.

Cases are increasing statewide, largely among unvaccinated populations.

– For the week of July 14-20, the average case rate among unvaccinated Californians is 20.7 per 100,000 per day and the average case rate among vaccinated Californians is significantly lower at 3.5 per 100,000 per day.

– Between January 1 and July 14, 99% of the state’s cumulative cases have occurred among unvaccinated individuals.

The 7-day positivity rate is 5.9%.

There have been 73,252,199 tests conducted in California. This represents an increase of 116,448 during the prior 24-hour reporting period.

As of July 28, providers have reported administering a total of 43,663,282 vaccine doses statewide. The CDC reports that 49,539,695 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 26, local health departments have reported 115,873  confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 481 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 July 11 to July 17, the average time patients waited for test results was under one day. During this same time period, 85% of patients received test results in one day and 96% received them within two days.

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)

As of July 26, there have been 583 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.

Comment On This Story
COMMENT POLICY: We welcome comments from individuals and businesses. All comments are moderated. Comments are subject to rejection if they are vulgar, combative, or in poor taste.
REAL NAMES ONLY: All posters must use their real individual or business name. This applies equally to Twitter account holders who use a nickname.

0 Comments

You can be the first one to leave a comment.

Leave a Comment


SCV NewsBreak
LOCAL NEWS HEADLINES
Monday, Mar 18, 2024
Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival Live Music Performers Announced
The 28th Annual Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival is back with your favorite musical performers and an exciting lineup of new acts.
Monday, Mar 18, 2024
City’s 2024 ‘Celebrate’ Lineup Released
There is so much to learn from different customs and cultures and you don’t need a plane ticket to experience it all.
Monday, Mar 18, 2024
March 22: COC’s Uniquely Abled Academy Robotics Graduation
On Friday, March 22, the Uniquely Abled Academy (UAA) at College of the Canyons will host a graduation ceremony for nine students who have completed the UAA’s pilot robotics training program.
Keep Up With Our Facebook

Latest Additions to SCVNews.com
1875, 1:35PM - Outlaw Tiburcio Vasquez hanged in San Jose [story]
Tiburcio Vasquez
College of the Canyons notched its first victory at the newly named Mike Gillespie Field on Saturday, winning its second straight conference series, this time over visiting Bakersfield College, by a 6-4 final score. 
Cougars Notch First Win at Mike Gillespie Field
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- The Master's University hit 20 3-pointers, one shy of the program record in a game, to defeat the St. Thomas Bobcats 122-91 in the second round of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Men's Basketball National Championship tournament.
Mustangs Advance to NAIA Sweet 16
The Master's University baseball team lost a pair of 1-run games Saturday against the Menlo Oaks in Atherton, Calif.
Mustangs Drop Three Games to Menlo
The Los Angeles County Development Authority is excited to announce that its executive director, Emilio Salas, has been appointed to a two-year term to serve as a member of the national Strategic Planning Advisory Committee for the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO).
LACDA’s Emilio Salas Appointed to National Planning Advisory Committee
The 28th Annual Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival is back with your favorite musical performers and an exciting lineup of new acts.
Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival Live Music Performers Announced
REDLANDS — College of the Canyons track and field recorded a dozen top-10 finishes and established 30 new personal records while competing at the University of Redlands Invitational on March 15. 
Cougars Earn Top-10 Finishes at Redlands Invitational
There is so much to learn from different customs and cultures and you don’t need a plane ticket to experience it all.
City’s 2024 ‘Celebrate’ Lineup Released
Big Chicken, the star-powered fast casual chicken concept, which has a location in Santa Clarita, is fueling the mania for the Big Tournament with a nationwide Big Bracket Challenge.
Compete for Chance to Open Shaquille O’Neal Chicken Restaurant
California State University, Northridge’s Spring 2024 Cinematheque series will pay tribute to Hollywood casting director and producer Deborah Aquila, executive vice president and head of casting at Paramount Television Studios and CBS Studios, to mark the end of Women’s History Month on Wednesday, March 27.
Legendary Casting Director Deborah Aquila to Speak at CSUN
On Friday, March 22, the Uniquely Abled Academy (UAA) at College of the Canyons will host a graduation ceremony for nine students who have completed the UAA’s pilot robotics training program.
March 22: COC’s Uniquely Abled Academy Robotics Graduation
The Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation is excited to announce spring has sprung at its local parks, including those in the Santa Clarita Valley.
L.A. County Parks Releases Spring Jubilee Dates
The city of Santa Clarita’s Film Office released the list of six productions currently filming in the Santa Clarita Valley for the week of Monday, March 18 - Sunday, March 24.
‘Bosch Legacy,’ ‘CSI Vegas’ Among Six Productions Filming in SCV
Unlike our children who enjoy a week-long spring break, we adults no longer have that luxury.
Ken Striplin | Register Now for Spring Break Camp 2024
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health cautions residents who are planning to visit the following Los Angeles County beaches to avoid swimming, surfing and playing in ocean waters due to bacterial levels exceeding health standards when last tested.
Ocean Water Advisory Continues for L.A. County Beaches
The California Department of Motor Vehicles now offers a faster way for businesses to check that their employees have clean driving records using the new online Employee Pull Notice (EPN) Service.
DMV Launches Enhanced Digital Employer Pull Notice Service
1919 - Fire destroys abandoned second Southern Hotel, built 1878 in Newhall (corner Main & Market) [story]
Second Southern Hotel
1927 - Newhall telephone exchange, est. 1900, now serves 100 phones [story]
telephone
2003 - Lifesize sculpture honoring heroes of St. Francis Dam disaster unveiled in Santa Paula [video]
The Warning
In the first of three matches on consecutive nights in Arizona, The Master's men's volleyball team defeated Benedictine-Mesa in three sets 27-25, 28-26, 25-19.
TMU Men’s Volleyball Sweeps Benu in Arizona
Greg Herrick, the former longtime College of the Canyons women's basketball head coach who recorded 611 career wins while winning 16 conference titles, was inducted into the California Community College Women's Basketball Coaches Association (CCCWBCA) Hall of Fame during the organization's annual Banquet of Champions at Mt. San Antonio College on March 13.
Longtime COC Women’s Basketball Coach Herrick Enshrined in Hall of Fame
The Santa Clarita Planning Commission will hold its regular meeting Tuesday, March 19, at 6 p.m. in City Council Chambers City Hall, 23920 Valencia Blvd. 1st Floor, Santa Clarita, CA 91355.
March 19: Planning Commission to Discuss Wiley Canyon Mixed Use Project
Attend the city of Santa Clarita's most unique egg hunt, the Splash N’ Dash at the Santa Clarita Aquatics Center, presented by Kaiser Permanente.
March 30: Dive into Spring at Splash n’ Dash Egg Hunt
String orchestras and concert bands from around the Santa Clarita Valley and Southern California will participate in the Southern California School Band & Orchestra Association concert festival hosted by West Ranch High School on Tuesday, March 26 and Wednesday, March 27, 10 a.m.-9:30 p.m.
March 26-27: SoCal School Band, Orchestra Concert Festival
SCVNews.com