The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed 10 new deaths throughout L.A. County, 3,077 new cases countywide and 98 new cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.

This new data brings Los Angeles County death totals to 34,135, county case totals to 3,524,896 and Santa Clarita Valley case totals to 93,077 since March of 2020. SCV deaths from COVID-19 remain at 512.

Of the 10 new deaths reported today, one person was between the ages of 30 to 49, six people were between the ages of 65-79, and three people were aged 80 years or older.  Of the 10 newly reported deaths, eight had underlying health conditions.

Wednesday’s positivity rate is 9.4%.

There are 794 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized. Testing results are available for more than 12,706,000 individuals, with 24% of people testing positive.

Public Health Urges Safety During Holiday Weekend

As many gather with friends and families to celebrate Thanksgiving this week, residents are urged to take steps to protect the most vulnerable people at gatherings from, and to prevent transmission of, COVID-19, flu, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Layering in simple measures, such as being up-to-date on vaccines, testing, staying home when sick, and increasing ventilation can help ensure a safe and happy holiday. These simple steps can result in less disruptions and illness and can protect the healthcare system from becoming overwhelmed.

Currently, LA County is experiencing high levels of circulating respiratory viruses. To help reduce transmission it is strongly recommended that everyone wears a well-fitting respirator mask in indoor public spaces and when traveling. This includes when using public transit such as buses, ride shares, taxis and medical transport.

In recent weeks, new strains of COVID-19 appear to be gaining dominance, including BQ.1 and BQ.1.1, sublineages of BA.5. The bivalent booster is likely to be effective against new strains of BA.5 as it is formulated to protect against both the original virus that causes COVID-19 and Omicron BA.4 and BA.5. All residents age 5 and older are urged to get the new updated Fall COVID-19 booster if it has been at least 2 months since their last COVID vaccine.

The updated Fall COVID-19 boosters, plus flu vaccines, are readily available at Public Health sites, pharmacies, and other locations across the county. Seniors and residents who can’t easily leave their home can contact Public Health telehealth services at (833) 540-0473, seven days a week, from 8:00 am to 8:30 pm to arrange for at-home COVID-19 Fall booster and primary series vaccinations or transportation to a vaccination center. Insurance is not required, and callers can be assisted in multiple languages.

Residents can also go to VaccinateLACounty.com to find nearby vaccination sites, request a mobile vaccination team for your worksite or community event, or an in-home visit if you or someone you know is homebound.

COVID-19 testing is also important before and after attending gatherings. When hosting an event, consider asking guests to take a home COVID-19 test before they visit. If you are going to a gathering and you know there will be an older person there or others who are at high risk for severe illness from COVID-19, test before you arrive. If you test positive, cancel your plans and isolate at home away from others, even if you feel well.  If you test positive you risk getting others sick and spreading COVID-19.

Many pharmacies offer COVID-19 home tests, and they may be covered by your insurance. Tests are also available at your doctor’s office or health center. If you need help finding a doctor, call 2-1-1 or visit 211LA.  To find county test sites go to: https://dhs.lacounty.gov/covid-19/testing/. And to find a local health center that offers free testing, visit Community-Based Testing Sites for COVID-19.

It’s also important if you are sick, to stay home. If you are coughing, sneezing, have a runny nose, a fever, or other possible symptoms of a respiratory virus, it is not worth the risk of infecting others.  People should stay home, rest, and recover and not risk passing an infection on to others.

Improving ventilation in the home remains an effective strategy for reducing transmission of respiratory viruses. If it is not too cold, stay outdoors as much as possible. When inside, open windows or a screen door and use fans to move the air. If you have an HVAC system in your home, set the fan to ‘on’ and make sure your filters are installed properly. You can also use a portable high efficiency air cleaners – also referred to as HEPA air purifiers. Improving ventilation in your home, as well as gathering in larger rooms where people are spaced apart and moving celebrations outside can help reduce the transmission of airborne illnesses.

The 7-day average case count in the county is 1,971, a 39% increase from one week ago when the 7-day average of 1,415 cases was reported.

Over the past seven days, the average number of daily COVID-positive patients in LA County hospitals is at 699, an increase of 30% from last week when daily COVID-positive patients per day was 539.

Deaths, which typically lag hospitalizations by several weeks, remain at about 8 deaths reported each day this past week.

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

* Number reflects an undercount due to a lag from weekend reporting.

^ Data for past dates is subject to change in future reports.

To find a location for the new booster go to VaccinateLACounty.com or VacunateLosAngeles.com(en español). Click on “Find a Location” and then search by “Vaccine Type”.

If residents do become ill, fast and easy access to medicines is also crucial. As of last week, more than 550 sites offer therapeutics, many in communities that have been hard hit by COVID.

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.

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 including:

COVID-19 Daily Data (cases, deaths, testing, testing positivity rate, mortality rate, and hospitalizations)

Gender, Age, Race/Ethnicity and City/Community Cases and Deaths

Contact Tracing Metrics

Skilled Nursing Facility Metrics

Citations due to Health Officer Order Noncompliance

Outbreaks:

Residential Congregate Settings

Non-Residential Settings

Homeless Service Settings

Always check with trusted sources for the latest accurate information about novel coronavirus:

Los Angeles County Department of Public Health: http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus/

California Department of Public Health:

https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/Immunization/nCOV2019.aspx

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

Spanish https://espanol.cdc.gov/enes/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

World Health Organization https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus

L.A. County residents can also call 2-1-1

William S. Hart Union High School District

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.

Schools Community Dashboard

Student Dashboard

Staff Dashboard

Santa Clarita Valley Wednesday Update
As of 3 p.m. Wednesday, the L.A. County Public Health dashboard reported no additional deaths, keeping the total number of COVID-19 deaths in the SCV at 512.

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

Santa Clarita: 415

Castaic: 32

Acton: 19

Stevenson Ranch: 17

Unincorporated Canyon Country: 10

Agua Dulce: 6

Elizabeth Lake: 3

Val Verde: 3 (revised from 4)

Valencia: 2

Unincorporated Bouquet Canyon: 2

Newhall: 1

Unincorporated Saugus/Canyon Country: 1

Lake Hughes: 1

SCV Cases

Of the 93,077 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 68,785

*Castaic: 9,258

Stevenson Ranch: 5,565

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 3,372

Acton: 1,872

Val Verde: 1,017

Agua Dulce: 935

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 882

Saugus (unincorporated portion):  412

Elizabeth Lake: 255

Lake Hughes: 196

Bouquet Canyon: 195

Saugus/Canyon Country: 109

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 100

Sand Canyon: 59

San Francisquito/Bouquet Canyon: 43

Placerita Canyon: 22

*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 Thursdays. However with the holiday, this weeks update was released early. The information below is from the most recent data released Wednesday, Nov. 23.

Vaccinations

– 85,311,644 total vaccines administered.

– 72.4% of the population has been vaccinated with a primary series.

– 63,686 people a day are receiving COVID-19 vaccination (average daily dose count over 7 days).

Cases

– California has 10,611,075 confirmed cases to date.

– Thursday’s average case count is 4,264 (average daily case count over 7 days).

– During September 2022, unvaccinated people were 2.5 times more likely to get COVID-19 than people who were vaccinated with at least a primary series.

Testing

The testing positivity rate is 7.6% (average rate over 7 days).

Hospitalizations

– There are 2,676 hospitalizations statewide.

– There are 346 ICU patients statewide.

– During September 2022, unvaccinated people were 2.7 times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 than people who were vaccinated with at least a primary series.

Deaths

– There have been 96,701 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).

– During September 2022, unvaccinated people were 3.1 times more likely to die from COVID-19 than people who were vaccinated with at least a primary series.

Health Care Workers

As of Nov. 22, local health departments have reported 184,019 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 594 deaths statewide.

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)

As of Nov. 14, there have been 1,036 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.

Updated Boosters for Children
California Health & Human Services and CDPH sent a statement on Oct. 13, 2022 on the expanded eligibility for the updated Moderna and Pfizer boosters. Eligibility for the updated Moderna booster now extends to individuals 6 years of age and older and eligibility for the updated Pfizer booster now extends to individuals 5 years of age and older. This statement follows the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendation and has the support of the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup.

Changes to Definition of Close Contact
CDPH is revising the definition of close contact related to COVID-19. The update, in keeping with the state’s SMARTER plan, provides strategies for responding to direct and indirect COVID-19 exposure in indoor environments, and aligns with the most current science, data, and information. These changes take effect Friday, Oct. 14, 2022.

The amended order can be viewed here, as well as a Q&A.

Updated Testing Requirements for Visitors to Health Care Facilities

Beginning Saturday, Sept. 17, visitors to health care facilities, such as skilled nursing facilities and general acute care hospitals, will no longer be required to be tested or show proof of vaccination in order to visit loved ones. Visitors must continue to comply with CDPH Masking Guidance while visiting loved ones indoors in these settings.

Facilities should continue to maintain all current infection prevention practices to protect the vulnerable populations in health care facilities. In addition, they should continue to offer testing for visitors per recommendations from CDPH and/or the local public health department and have the ability to ramp up testing if it is required again at a future date.

In August, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in updated testing guidance, indicated screening testing is no longer recommended in general community settings. Therefore, CDPH has also updated COVID-19 testing guidance.

Preparing for a Healthy 2022-23 School Year

The Safe Schools for All Hub consolidates key resources and information related to COVID-19 and schools.

Learn more about the COVID-19 mitigation strategies to keep students, staff, and communities safe in the 2022-23 K-12 Schools Guidance.

Get more information on changes to COVID-19 testing strategies for the 2022-23 school year in the 2022-23 K-12 Schools Testing Framework.

The CDPH Testing Taskforce School Testing team has released a 2022-2023 K-12 Schools Testing Framework Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).

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 individual six months of age and older receive their primary COVID-19 vaccine series and booster dose.

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.