SCV sets new daily COVID-19 case record

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COVID-19 cases continued their steep increase going into the new year, as Los Angeles County Department of Public Health officials reported nearly 600 COVID-19 cases in the Santa Clarita Valley for the first time since the onset of the pandemic.

Wednesday’s figure was 58% higher than the SCV’s previous daily case record of 383 reported on Dec. 23, 2020.

In L.A. County as a whole, more than 16,000 cases were reported Wednesday — one of the highest daily case counts of the pandemic and the highest figure reported since January of this year.

In just the last week, cases have increased 91% from 8,633 to 16,510, while test positivity rates more than doubled to 17.6%, per Public Health.

The increase comes as COVID-19 variants are surging, with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimating Omicron now accounts for 59% of all U.S. infections and Delta for 41% of infections.

“As cases continue to rise, it is important that we all use the tools available to help us curb the spread,” Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said in a prepared statement Wednesday. “As we get ready to welcome the new year, this includes re-thinking party plans, limiting time indoors with non-household members, and isolating from others if feeling sick. And always wear a medical-grade mask when in close contact with others outside your household. With increasing evidence that vaccinated, and where eligible, boosted individuals have significant protection against severe COVID illness, the best way to limit heartache during one of the worst COVID surges, is to get vaccinated and boosted as quickly as possible.”

All COVID-19 services are free to L.A. County residents and can be accessed by anyone regardless of insurance or immigration status. To find a COVID-19 vaccine site near you, visit VaccinateLACounty.com, or to find a testing site, visit covid19.lacounty.gov/testing.     

Public Health officials also released the following updated COVID-19 statistics Wednesday:

Countywide COVID-19 cases reported in the past 24 hours: 16,510

Total COVID-19 cases in L.A. County: 1,649,376

New deaths related to COVID-19 reported in the past 24 hours: 25

Total COVID-19 deaths in L.A. County: 27,601

Hospitalizations countywide: 1,069

Hospitalizations at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital as of Dec. 28: 29, with 1,710 discharged since the onset of the pandemic.

COVID-19 cases reported in the Santa Clarita Valley in the past 24 hours: 588, 460 of which came from the city of Santa Clarita.

Total COVID-19 cases in the SCV: 42,796

Total COVID-19 deaths in the SCV as of Dec. 28: 375

Percentage of vaccinated people (at least one dose) in the city of Santa Clarita as of Dec. 23: 78.6%*

Percentage of vaccinated people (at least one dose) in the SCV as of Dec. 23: 75.1%*

*These figures now include all eligible Los Angeles County residents ages 5 and older.

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