The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed Wednesday 10 new deaths, 1686 new positive cases countywide, with 47 new cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.

This new data brings L.A. County death totals to 31,951, county case totals to 2,867,415 and SCV case totals to 73,642, with 468 total SCV deaths from COVID-19 since March of 2020. There are 235 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized.

Friday’s positivity rate is 1.7%. Testing results are available for more than 11,835,043, individuals, with 22% of people testing positive.

Of the 12 new deaths reported Friday, one person was between the ages of 50-64, seven people were between the ages of 65-79, and three people were aged 80 years or older. Of the 12 newly reported deaths, 10 had underlying health conditions. Additional information on the one death reported by the city of Long Beach is available at www.LongBeach.gov.

Schools See Increase In Students Testing Positive

With the highly infectious BA.2 subvariant dominating in L.A. County and increased gatherings over the Spring Break and holidays, more students and staff tested positive this past week than prior to Spring break.

For the week ending April 22, there were 1,842 positive tests among the 529,000 tests administered, resulting in a test positivity rate of 0.35%. There were 844 positive tests among 450,000 tests administered for the week ending April 8 and test positivity was 0.19%. While test positivity at schools remains very low, an increase in positive cases serves as a reminder that students and staff should continue to use common-sense safety measures

School-associated outbreaks also increased slightly from the week before Spring Break, with 13 outbreaks (six in elementary schools, one in a middle school, two in high schools, and four in youth sports) for the week ending April 23. The week before Spring Break, there were 11 outbreaks (seven in elementary schools, one in a middle school, and three in high schools) for the week ending April 9.

To promote safety at schools, Public Health is working with partners to continue easy access to COVID-19 vaccines at campuses with 744 school-based vaccination clinics scheduled for May. These 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 provide the best protection against illness and hospitalizations and are the safest way to keep children in school and participating in other activities.

With high rates of virus transmission in the County and more individuals testing positive at schools, Public Health recommends a series of sensible steps that will provide layers of protection against COVID-19 and keep students in schools. It is important that asymptomatic students exposed to COVID-19 and remaining in school, follow updated testing and masking requirements.

The updated exposure guidance for K-12 schools is aligned with the quarantine safety protocols for the general public and requires that asymptomatic students who are close contacts remain masked indoors when around others, except while eating or drinking, for 10 days after last exposure. Asymptomatic exposed students are also required to test within three to five days after last exposure. These measures can help contain the spread of infection and curtail outbreaks.

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. Thursday, the L.A. County Public Health dashboard remains unchanged from Monday, with 470 total deaths from COVID-19 in the Santa Clarita Valley. 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 73,623 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 54,431

* Castaic:7,557

Stevenson Ranch: 4,097

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 2,622

Acton: 1,525

Val Verde: 850

Agua Dulce: 784

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 679

Saugus (unincorporated portion):  317

Elizabeth Lake: 208

Bouquet Canyon: 149

Lake Hughes: 148

Saugus/Canyon Country: 90

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 87

Sand Canyon: 49

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 Friday

The California Department of Public Health now updates their numbers on Tuesday and Friday. The information below is from the most recent data released Friday, April 22.

Vaccinations

– 74,602,964 total vaccines administered.

– 84.2% of the eligible population (5+) has been vaccinated with at least one dose.

– 57,015 people a day are receiving COVID-19 vaccination (average daily dose count over 7 days).

Cases

– California has 8,566,404 confirmed cases to date.

– Monday’s average case count is 3,014 (average daily case count over 7 days).

– Unvaccinated people are 5.5 times more likely to get COVID-19 than boosted individuals (March 28, 2022 – April 3, 2022).

Testing

– The testing positivity rate is 3.1% (average rate over 7 days).

Hospitalizations

– There are 966 hospitalizations statewide.

– There are 132 ICU patients statewide.

– Unvaccinated people are 12.5 times more likely to be hospitalized than boosted individuals (March 28, 2022 – April 3, 2022).

Deaths

– There have been 89,255 COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

– COVID-19 claims the lives of 18 Californians each day (average daily death count over 7 days).

– Unvaccinated people are 8.8 times more likely to die than boosted individuals (March 21, 2022 – March 27, 2022).

Health Care Workers

As of April 21, local health departments have reported 155,464 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 10 to April 16, the average time patients waited for test results was 0.7 day. During this same time period, 90% of patients received test results in one day and 98% received them within two days.

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)

As of April 21, 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.