The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed Wednesday 15 new deaths over the weekend countywide with 1,146 new positive cases for Wednesday countrywide 25 new cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.

This new data brings Los Angeles County death totals to 31,899, county case totals to 2,855,687 and Santa Clarita Valley case totals to 72,887 since March of 2020. There are 230 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized.

Testing results are available for more than 11,797,600 individuals, with 22% of people testing positive.

Of the 15 new deaths reported today, one person was between the ages of 50-64, five people were between the ages of 65-79, and eight people were aged 80 years or older. Of the 15 newly reported deaths, all had underlying health conditions.

Data is by date reported by Public Health, but does not necessarily represent the date of testing, hospitalization, or death.

Public Health Recommends Sensible Measures to Keep Schools Safe

As students return to campus after Spring Break and holidays, Public Health recommends a series of sensible safety steps that will keep staff, students, and families safe at schools. Given the rapid rise of the more infectious BA.2 subvariant across the U.S. and the world, residents need to remain vigilant and take actions to reduce transmission.

Given recent increases in cases of COVID, anyone with illness symptoms needs to stay home and get tested to be sure they aren’t infected. Parents are encouraged to use the test kits they received from their child’s school to test children before they return to class.

Masking and being fully vaccinated and boosted, if eligible, are also both strongly recommended and can prevent outbreaks, which typically increase after holidays with many gatherings.

With many school districts closed because of Spring Break, including Los Angeles Unified School District, there were far fewer tests administered, resulting in a higher positivity rate. For the week ending April 15, there were 311 positive tests among nearly 67,000 tests administered, resulting in a test positivity rate of 0.5%. By comparison, for the prior week ending April 8, nearly 450,000 tests were administered with 844 positive tests and a test positivity of 0.2%.

The number of new school-associated outbreaks was also lower due to many schools being closed. For the week ending April 16, there were six new school-associated outbreaks (three in elementary schools, one in a middle school, one in a high school, and one in youth sports). The week prior, there were 11 new school-associated outbreaks.

To promote safety at schools, Public Health is working with partners to ensure easy access to COVID-19 vaccines, and this week, there are 171 school-based clinics offering pediatric doses for those ages 5-11, as well as vaccines and boosters for eligible individuals 12 years of age and older. As a reminder, vaccines continue to provide the best protection against illness and hospitalizations and are the safest way to keep children in school and participating in other activities.

“To the many families who have lost a family member or friend to COVID-19, we wish you peace, comfort and courage as you mourn the loss of your loved ones,” said Dr. Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “Throughout the pandemic, isolation of those infected with COVID and quarantine of their close contacts has been a significant strategy for interrupting the cycle of transmission. With many residents vaccinated and/or previously infected with SARS-CoV-2, there are additional barriers to transmission that can influence appropriate mitigation measures, including isolation and quarantine guidance, during this post surge period. After reviewing the California Department of Public Health’s updated quarantine guidance, we elected to generally align our Public Health Emergency Quarantine Order with the guidance, with a key exception. With increased circulation of the highly transmissible BA.2 subvariant, and indications that those infected with BA.2 are more likely to be asymptomatic, Public Health requires, rather than recommends, that close contacts who are exempted from quarantine mask indoors for 10 days and test as soon as possible.”

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 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, the L.A. County Public Health dashboard reported no new deaths in the SCV leaving the total number of deaths from COVID-19 at 465.

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

Santa Clarita: 380

Castaic: 28

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: 0 (**revised from 1)

SCV Cases

Of the 72,834 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

Santa Clarita: 54,122

Castaic: 7,137

Stevenson Ranch: 4,065

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 2,603

Acton: 1,520

Val Verde: 843

Agua Dulce: 781

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 674

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 312

Elizabeth Lake: 207

Bouquet Canyon: 149

Lake Hughes: 147

Saugus/Canyon Country: 90

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

The California Department of Public Health now updates their numbers on Tuesday and Friday. The information below is from the Public Health press release on Tuesday, April 19.

Statewide COVID-19 Data

Vaccinations

– 74,361,797 total vaccines administered.

– 84.1% of the eligible population (5+) has been vaccinated with at least one dose.

– 60,533 people a day are receiving COVID-19 vaccination (average daily dose count over 7 days).

Cases

– California has 8,550,657 confirmed cases to date.

– Friday’s average case count is 2,753 (average daily case count over 7 days).

– Unvaccinated people are 4.6 times more likely to get COVID-19 than boosted individuals (March 22, 2022 – March 28, 2022).

Testing

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

Hospitalizations

– There are 964 hospitalizations statewide.

– There are 141 ICU patients statewide.

– Unvaccinated people are 9.6 times more likely to be hospitalized than boosted individuals (March 22, 2022 – March 28, 2022).

Deaths

– There have been 89,054 COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

– COVID-19 claims the lives of 20 Californians each day (average daily death count over 7 days).

– Unvaccinated people are 10.6 times more likely to die than boosted individuals (March 15, 2022 – March 21, 2022).

Health Care Workers

As of April 14, local health departments have reported 154,968 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 578 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 3 to April 9, the average time patients waited for test results was 0.7 day. During this same time period, 94% of patients received test results in one day and 99% received them within two days.

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)

As of April 18, there have been 944 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.