The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed Wednesday five new deaths, 4,454  new cases countywide, with 105 new cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.

This new data brings Los Angeles County death totals to 32,136, county case totals to 2,980,708 and Santa Clarita Valley case totals to 77,366 since March of 2020. SCV deaths from COVID-19 remain at 474. There are 502 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized countywide.

Of the five new deaths reported today, four were among people aged 80 years or older. For information on the one death reported by the City of Long Beach, visit longbeach.gov. Of the five newly reported deaths, four people had underlying health conditions.

Public Health has reported a total of positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County. Wednesday’s positivity rate is 4.7%.

Testing results are available for more than 12,020,634 individuals, with 22% of people testing positive.12,020,634

Schools Continue to See Rise in Cases 

As the school year comes to a close, cases continue to increase, a reflection of continued high rates of transmission across the county. Families and schools are encouraged to use all safety measures including vaccines, testing before events, and masking indoors to avoid missing end-of-school year events, such as graduations.

The number of cases among students and staff doubled in one month, likely reflecting, in part, transmission associated with end-of-the-year and holiday gatherings.  For the week ending May 22, there were 7,299 cases in schools across the county, of which 5,834 were among students and 1,465 among staff. A month prior, for the week ending April 24, there were 3,626 cases, of which 2,896 were among students and 730 among staff.

School-associated outbreaks remained relatively stable this past month. For the week ending, May 28, there were 17 reported outbreaks (seven in elementary schools, five in middle schools, four in high schools and one in a day camp).

The case rate for children ages 5-17 in LA County has increased two and a half times to 648 new cases per 100,000 children on May 28. One month ago, on April 28, the case rate for children ages 5-17 was 259. The hospitalization rate for children ages 5-17 has remained stable from one month ago with about one hospitalization among children ages 5-17 per 100,000 children.

The increase in cases creates risk of new or ongoing health problems for those infected. While most children experience mild illness, there is no way to know in advance how children will be affected by COVID-19, or if they will later develop multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) a serious condition that follows a recent infection with COVID where different body organs can become inflamed. To date, 311 children have been diagnosed in LA County with MIS-C.

Testing is an important tool that can be effectively used to prevent or slow transmission at schools and among children by early identification of asymptomatic infected individuals. Nearly 580,000 over-the-counter (OTC) test kits ordered from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are being distributed to LA County schools and camps to support testing for the end of the school year, summer school, and summer camps.

Schools district administrators can get connected to resources and order test kits by contacting acdc-education@ph.lacounty.gov to request OTC test kits for end-of-school year and summer school testing needs.

And while many of those infected experience mild or moderate illness, the risk is not equally distributed. Older people and those with chronic health conditions remain at higher risk, even if vaccinated. With the most infectious variants to date circulating across LA County, reducing possible exposures makes a difference, particularly for those working at jobs that put them in close contact with many other workers and customers during the course of the day.

– 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.

Schools Community Dashboard

Student Dashboard

Staff Dashboard

Santa Clarita Valley Wednesday Update
As of 4 p.m. Wednesday, the L.A. County Public Health dashboard reported no additional deaths, keeping the total number of deaths in the SCV to 474.

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

Santa Clarita: 385

Castaic: 31

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 77,366 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 57,039 

* Castaic:7,993

Stevenson Ranch: 4,445

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 2,751

Acton: 1,570

Val Verde: 883

Agua Dulce: 805

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 733

Saugus (unincorporated portion):  338

Elizabeth Lake: 215

Bouquet Canyon: 156

Lake Hughes: 154

Saugus/Canyon Country: 96

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 88

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 Following is from the most recent update on Tuesday May 31.

Vaccinations

– 76,314,328 total vaccines administered.

– 83.5% of the eligible population (5+) has been vaccinated with at least one dose.

– 51,958 people a day are receiving COVID-19 vaccination (average daily dose count over 7 days).

Cases

– California has 8,955,662confirmed cases to date.

– Friday’s average case count is 13,263 (average daily case count over 7 days).

– Unvaccinated people are 4.8 times more likely to get COVID-19 than boosted individuals (May 2, 2022 – May 8, 2022).

Testing

– The testing positivity rate is 7.9% (average rate over 7 days).

Hospitalizations

– There are 2,281 hospitalizations statewide.

– There are 242 ICU patients statewide.

– Unvaccinated people are 6.8 times more likely to be hospitalized than boosted individuals (May 2, 2022 – May 8, 2022).

Deaths

– There have been 90,719 COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

– COVID-19 claims the lives of 8 Californians each day (average daily death count over 7 days).

– Unvaccinated people are 10.1 times more likely to die than boosted individuals (April 25, 2022 – May 1, 2022).

Health Care Workers

As of May 26, local health departments have reported 160,894 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 580 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 May 15 to May 21, the average time patients waited for test results was 0.8 day. During this same time period, 89% of patients received test results in one day and 98% received them within two days.

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)

As of May  30, 2022, there have been 966 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.