The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed Wednesday seven additional deaths and 2,997 new cases countywide, with 85 new cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.

This new data brings Los Angeles County death totals to 32,007, county case totals to 2,900,449 and Santa Clarita Valley case totals to 74,709 since March of 2020. SCV death totals from COVID-19 remain at 470. There are 249 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized countywide.

More than 11,876,000 individuals tested; 22% of people tested positive to date.

Of the seven new deaths reported Wednesday, two people were between the ages of 65-79 and five people were aged 80 years or older. Of the seven newly reported deaths, all had underlying health conditions.

Wednesday’s positivity rate is 2.5%.

Testing results are available for more than 11,906,697 individuals, with 22% of people testing positive.

Transmission Rates Continue to Remain High in Schools

With continued high transmission of the more infectious COVID-19 subvariants, the number of students and staff testing positive at K-12 schools in L.A. County increased for the fifth consecutive week with 3,151 students and 737 staff testing positive for the week ending May 1; this is a 322% increase from just one month ago. Test positivity, at 0.5%, has also increased by 163% this past month.

School-associated outbreaks remain elevated for the week ending May 7, with 16 outbreaks (seven in elementary schools, two in middle schools, and seven in high schools). One month ago, for the week ending April 9, there were 11 outbreaks (seven in elementary schools, one in a middle school, and three in high schools).

And while most children infected with COVID-19 experience relatively mild illness, there continues to be dozens of children experiencing long COVID and dozens hospitalized with more severe illness. During the 90-day period ending April 21, the youngest pediatric patients, ages 0-4-years-old, not yet eligible to receive the vaccines, had the highest hospitalization rate with 33 hospitalizations per 100,000 children. Children ages 12 to 17 had the second highest hospitalization rate with 14 hospitalizations per 100,000, and children ages 5 to 11 had the lowest hospitalization rate with 10 children hospitalized per 100,000.

Unvaccinated children continue to be more at risk for severe illness and hospitalization. During the 90-day period ending April 30, the hospitalization rate among unvaccinated children ages 5-11 was three times higher than the hospitalization rate among fully vaccinated children in the same age group. For unvaccinated children ages 12-17, during this same time period, the hospitalization rate was two times higher than the hospitalization rate among fully vaccinated children in the same age group.

Vaccines are approved for children ages five and older and are widely available. There are 218 school-based vaccine clinics this week. These school vaccine sites offer pediatric doses for ages 5-11, as well as vaccines and boosters for eligible individuals 12 years of age and older. As a reminder, vaccines continue to prevent severe illness and hospitalizations, and are the safest way to keep children in school and participating in other activities.

With high levels of community transmission, Public Health continues to strongly recommend that all students and staff wear well-fitting, high filtration masks, preferably respirators, when indoors. Masking is required indoors for asymptomatic staff and students who have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 for 10 days from their last exposure. Wearing a well-fitting, high filtration mask or respirator provides a strong layer of protection that can lower the risk of spreading the virus at schools and school-related activities.

A wide range of data and dashboards on COVID-19 from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health are available on the Public Health website at http://www.publichealth.lacounty.gov.

To keep workplaces and schools open, residents and workers are asked to:

– Get tested to help reduce the spread, especially if you traveled for the holidays, have had a possible exposure, or have symptoms, or are gathering with people not in your household

– Adhere to masking requirements when indoors or at crowded outdoor spaces, regardless of vaccination status

– Residents are legally required to be isolated if they have a positive COVID test result and vaccinated close contacts with symptoms and unvaccinated close contacts need to be quarantined.

For information on where you can get tested, please visit www.covid19.lacounty.gov/testing/.

For updated isolation and quarantine guidance, please visit www.publichealth.lacounty.gov.

COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective and are recommended for everyone 5 years old and older to help protect against COVID-19. Vaccinations are always free and open to eligible residents and workers regardless of immigration status. Appointments are not needed at all Public Health vaccination sites and many community sites where first, second, and third doses are available.

To find a vaccination site near you, or to make an appointment, please visit:

www.VaccinateLACounty.com (English) or

www.VacunateLosAngeles.com (Spanish).

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

Santa Clarita Valley Wednesday Update
As of 4 p.m. Wednesday, the L.A. County Public Health dashboard reported zero additional deaths from COVID-19, keeping the total since the onset of the pandemic at 470.

The following is the community breakdown per L.A. County’s dashboard:

Santa Clarita: 382

Castaic: 30

Acton: 17

Stevenson Ranch: 15

Unincorporated Canyon Country: 9 (revised from 10)

Agua Dulce: 6

Val Verde: 3 (revised from 4)

Valencia: 2

Unincorporated Bouquet Canyon: 2

Elizabeth Lake: 1

Newhall: 1

unincorporated Saugus/Canyon Country: 1

Lake Hughes: 1

SCV Cases

Of the 74,709 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

Santa Clarita: 55,179

Castaic: 7,652

Stevenson Ranch: 4,213

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 2,670

Acton: 1,535

Val Verde: 864

Agua Dulce: 788

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 700

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 324

Elizabeth Lake: 208

Bouquet Canyon: 149

Lake Hughes: 149

Saugus/Canyon Country: 91

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 87

Sand Canyon: 49

San Francisquito/Bouquet Canyon: 36

Placerita Canyon: 15

*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.

California Wednesday

The California Department of Public Health now updates their numbers on Tuesday and Friday. The information below is from the most recent data released Tuesday, May 10.

Vaccinations

– 75,088,046 total vaccines administered.

– 83.3% of the eligible population (5+) has been vaccinated with at least one dose.

– 49,097 people a day are receiving COVID-19 vaccination (average daily dose count over 7 days).

Cases

– California has 8,687,626 confirmed cases to date.

-Friday’s average case count is 6,214 (average daily case count over 7 days).

– Unvaccinated people are 5.4 times more likely to get COVID-19 than boosted individuals (April 11, 2022 – April 17, 2022).

Testing

– The testing positivity rate is 4.1% (average rate over 7 days).

Hospitalizations

– There are 1,203 hospitalizations statewide.

– There are 153 ICU patients statewide.

– Unvaccinated people are 9.3 times more likely to be hospitalized than boosted individuals (April 11, 2022 – April 17, 2022).

Deaths

– There have been 89,957 COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

– COVID-19 claims the lives of 12 Californians each day (average daily death count over 7 days).

– Unvaccinated people are 8.8 times more likely to die than boosted individuals (April 4, 2022 — April 10, 2022).

Health Care Workers

As of May 5, local health departments have reported 156,960 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 579 deaths statewide.

Testing Turnaround Time

The testing turnaround time dashboard reports how long California patients are waiting for COVID-19 test results. During the week of April 24 to April 30, the average time patients waited for test results was 0.7 day. During this same time period, 93% of patients received test results in one day and 99% received them within two days.

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)

As of May 9, 2022, there have been 976 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.

Additional Updates

Mask Guidance: Under California’s mask guidance, universal masking is required only in specified higher risk settings like hospitals, public transit and congregate living facilities. Unvaccinated persons are required to mask in all indoor public settings. Fully vaccinated individuals are recommended to continue indoor masking when the risk may be high. Workplaces will continue to follow the COVID-19 prevention standards set by CalOSHA. Local health jurisdictions may implement requirements that are stricter than state guidance.

Slow the Spread: Get Vaccinated and Boosted for COVID-19

The risk for COVID-19 exposure and infection continues as a number of Californians remain unvaccinated and unboosted.

Real-world evidence continues to show that the vaccine is preventing severe illness, hospitalization, and death. Public health officials urge Californians to get vaccinated and boosted as soon as possible.

It is recommended that every vaccinated person 12 years or older should get a booster as long as they received their second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine at least five months ago or they received their Johnson & Johnson vaccine at least two months ago.

Vaccination appointments can be made by visiting myturn.ca.gov or calling 1-833-422-4255. The consent of a parent or legal guardian may be needed for those under age 18 to receive a vaccination. Visit Vaccinate All 58 to learn more about the safe and effective vaccines available for all Californians 5+.

Your Actions Save Lives

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

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.