Public Health officials reported more than 300 COVID-19-related deaths in the last 24 hours and announced new efforts to expand vaccine distribution during a press briefing, while Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital saw its highest hospitalization rate to date Friday.
Paul Simon, chief science officer for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, reported 318 deaths in the county in the last 24 hours, adding that this was the highest death count reported since the onset of the pandemic.
This high death count comes one day after Los Angeles County officials announced one person dies from COVID-19 every eight minutes.
At Henry Mayo, 104 people were hospitalized and two patients died Friday, according to Patrick Moody, spokesman for the hospital. It is the highest hospitalization rate seen since the beginning of the pandemic at HMNH.
The county’s vaccine-distribution plan was expanded after Gov. Gavin Newsom announced everyone eligible in Phase 1A would be able to receive the vaccine instead of waiting for each tier in the phase to complete its vaccination process.
Simon said the Public Health Department is hopeful emergency and non-emergency health care workers and residents in assisted nursing facilities will be vaccinated by early February, and the next phase, phase 1B, of distribution can begin with people over the age of 75 and essential workers.
The revised distribution plan begins Monday, Simon said. He added 151,772 doses of both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine have been administered as of Thursday.
L.A. County Public Health officials also released the following updated COVID-19 statistics Friday:
ICU capacity for Southern California: 0.0%
New COVID-19 cases reported in L.A. County in the past 24 hours: 18,313
Total COVID-19 cases in L.A. County: 889,405
New deaths related to COVID-19 reported: 318
Total COVID-19 deaths in L.A. County: 11,863
Hospitalizations countywide: 8,074; 20% of whom are in the ICU.
Hospitalizations at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital as of Jan. 8: 104, with 779 discharged since the onset of the pandemic.
COVID-19 cases reported in the Santa Clarita Valley in the past 24 hours: 308, 268 of which came from the city of Santa Clarita.
Total COVID-19 cases in the SCV: 19,148
Total COVID-19 deaths in the SCV as of Jan. 8: 134, including two additional deaths reported from Henry Mayo Friday.
The numbers of SCV cases, including all area health care providers’ daily figures and those at Pitchess Detention Center, broken down into region, are as follows:
City of Santa Clarita: 13,710
Unincorporated – Acton: 316
Unincorporated – Agua Dulce: 161
Unincorporated – Bouquet Canyon: 30
Unincorporated – Canyon Country: 551
Unincorporated – Castaic: 3,097 (majority of Castaic cases come from Pitchess Detention Center, exact number unavailable)
Unincorporated – Lake Hughes: 28
Unincorporated – Newhall: 57
Unincorporated – Placerita Canyon: 0
Unincorporated – San Francisquito Canyon/Bouquet Canyon: 11
Unincorporated – Sand Canyon: 10
Unincorporated – Saugus: 99
Unincorporated – Saugus/Canyon Country: 28
Unincorporated – Stevenson Ranch: 720
Unincorporated – Val Verde: 213
Unincorporated – Valencia: 117
To view all coronavirus-related stories, visit signalscv.com/category/news/coronavirus.
