The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed Wednesday 80 additional deaths, including one person between the ages of 12-17 and 1,626 new cases of COVID-19 countywide, with 27 new cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.

This new data brings Los Angeles County death totals to 30,853, county case totals to 2,799,169 and Santa Clarita Valley case totals to 71,732 since March of 2020.

Public Health confirmed 80 additional deaths and 1,626 new cases of COVID-19. Of the 80 new deaths reported today, one person was between the ages of 12-17, seven were between the ages of 30-49, 16 were between the ages of 50-64, 16 were between the ages of 65-79, and 32 were aged 80 years or older. Of the 80 newly reported deaths, 58 had underlying health conditions.  Information on the nine deaths reported by the City of Long Beach is available at www.LongBeach.gov  To date, the total number of deaths in L.A. County is 30,853.

Public Health has reported a total of 2,799,169 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County. Today’s positivity rate is 1.2%.

There are 907 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized. Testing results are available for more than 11,443,300 individuals, with 22% of people testing positive.

County Health Officer to Modify Indoor Masking Requirement 

In anticipation of LA County moving into medium or low risk according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Community Level designation this Thursday, Public Health will issue a modified Health Officer Order which will go into effect on Friday, March 4.

Under this modified order, indoor masking will be strongly recommended, but not required, for vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals, except in high-risk settings where federal and state regulations continue to require masking, including everyone using public transit and all those in emergency shelters, health care settings, correctional and detention facilities, homeless shelters, and long-term care facilities. At all sites where masking indoors is no longer mandatory, employers will be required to offer, for voluntary use, medical grade masks and respirators to employees working indoors in close contact with other workers and/or customers.

Masks are required indoors at schools and childcare facilities until March 11 when masks will be strongly recommended for students, children, teachers, and staff regardless of vaccination status.  School districts in LA County may continue to require masking at schools and during school activities, along with other appropriate safety protections for their school community.

Masking is strongly recommended for everyone, regardless of vaccination status, in indoor public spaces by both the state and county public health departments because transmission remains a significant risk for many across our county and state.

Masking is also still required for those who exit isolation or quarantine early through day 10 of their isolation or quarantine period. As a reminder, regardless of the community risk level, people can wear a mask based on their personal preference, comfort level, and informed by their personal level of risk.

At every risk level, those who are exposed or symptomatic should be tested and a negative test is   required to exit isolation or quarantine between days 6-10.

Two additional community prevention strategies include vaccine verification and ventilation. Vaccine verification in health care and congregate care settings l continues to be required across all community risk levels. Vaccine verification also continues to be required for entry to indoor mega events, with a negative test result as a substitute for those not fully vaccinated. Vaccine verification at outdoor mega events and indoor portions of bars, nightclubs and lounges is strongly recommended and no longer required.

Additionally, under Medium and High-risk Levels, visitors at healthcare facilities, including congregate care sites, are still required to verify vaccination status or provide a negative test result.

Regardless of community risk level, proper ventilation throughout indoor spaces should be maintained.

For more information, visit the Los Angeles County Post Surge Response Plan.

“I know so many are mourning the loss of a loved one and I send my heartfelt condolences and wishes for healing to each, and every family affected by this pandemic,” said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “Despite the encouraging news, people who are unvaccinated, immunocompromised, or living in low-resourced communities, continue to be at higher risk and are more likely to become seriously ill and die from COVID-19. Along with the significant protection provided by vaccines and boosters, masks add an important barrier to transmission that protects those most vulnerable from the worst outcomes.  Therefore, Public Health, in alignment with the state,  strongly recommends that individuals keep their masks on in public indoor settings, regardless of vaccination status, until there is less risk for those at elevated risk.”

Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital

Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital currently has zero tests pending, seven patients in the hospital, and a total of 2,186 patients who have been treated and discharged since the pandemic began and one additional deceased, bringing the total to 224, 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.

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 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, the L.A. County Public Health dashboard reported four additional deaths from COVID-19 leaving the total number of deaths from COVID-19 in the SCV to 437.

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

Santa Clarita: 360

Castaic: 27

Acton: 16

Unincorporated Canyon Country: 9 (revised from 10)

Stevenson Ranch: 10

Agua Dulce: 5

Val Verde: 3

Valencia: 2

Unincorporated Bouquet Canyon: 2

Elizabeth Lake: 1

Newhall: 1

unincorporated Saugus/Canyon Country: 1

Lake Hughes: 0 (**revised from 1)

SCV Cases

Of the 71,732 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 53,323

* Castaic:7,045

Stevenson Ranch: 3,963

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 2,560

Acton: 1,499

Val Verde: 824

Agua Dulce: 777

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 664

Saugus (unincorporated portion):  309

Elizabeth Lake: 203

Bouquet Canyon: 147

Lake Hughes: 145

Saugus/Canyon Country: 89

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 87

Sand Canyon: 48

San Francisquito/Bouquet Canyon: 34

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

Statewide COVID-19 Data

Cases, hospitalizations and deaths are largely occurring among unvaccinated populations. See the data for unvaccinated and vaccinated cases, hospitalizations and deaths.

Vaccinations

– 71,697,868 total vaccines administered.

– 83.1% of the eligible population (5+) has been vaccinated with at least one dose.

– 45,930 people a day are receiving COVID-19 vaccination (average daily dose count over 7 days).

Cases

– California has 8,388,683 confirmed cases to date.

– Wednesday’s average case count is 6,767 (average daily case count over 7 days).

– Unvaccinated people are 5.3 times more likely to get COVID-19 than boosted individuals (Feb. 7, 2022 – Feb. 13, 2022).

Testing

– The testing positivity rate is 2.6% (average rate over 7 days).

Hospitalizations

– There are 3,987 hospitalizations statewide.

– There are 740 ICU patients statewide.

– Unvaccinated people are 8.9 times more likely to be hospitalized than boosted individuals (Feb. 7, 2022 – Feb. 13, 2022).

Deaths

– There have been 84,928 COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

– COVID-19 claims the lives of 174 Californians each day (average daily death count over 7 days).

– Unvaccinated people are 17.1 times more likely to die than boosted individuals (Jan. 31, 2022 – Feb. 6, 2022).

Health Care Workers

Note: As of February 17, local health departments have reported 147,203 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 559 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 Feb. 13 to Feb. 19, the average time patients waited for test results was 1 day. During this same time period, 88% of patients received test results in one day and 97% received them within two days.

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)

As of Feb. 28, there have been 867 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.