Los Angeles County Public Health on Friday confirmed 374 new deaths and 692 new cases of COVID-19 countywide, with 27,284 total cases in the Santa Clarita Valley. In addition, Public Health announced an update to the Los Angeles County Health Officer Order which will reflect newly permitted activities allowed in the orange tier.
With vaccination rates increasing and the state’s COVID-19 test positivity rate near a record low, the California Department of Public Health on Friday released updates to the state’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy reopening framework allowing additional activities to resume with modifications to reduce risk effective April 15.
Los Angeles County announced Tuesday the launch of a partnership with the city of Los Angeles and public health service startup Curative to deliver and administer the COVID-19 Moderna vaccines to staff and residents of Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs) in Los Angeles County.
The Los Angeles County Health Officer is extending a Cold Weather Alert in the Santa Clarita Valley through Friday, Jan. 1, due to the National Weather Service’s forecast for low temperatures. Wind chill temperatures are expected to be below 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Affected areas include:
Antelope Valley – through Saturday, Jan. 2
Los Angeles County Mountain areas – through Friday, Jan. 1
“Children, the elderly, and people with disabilities or special medical needs are especially vulnerable during cold weather. Extra precaution should be taken to ensure they don’t get too cold when they are outside,” said Muntu Davis, MD, MPH, Los Angeles County Health Officer. “There are places where people can go to stay warm, such as shelters or other public facilities. We also want to remind people not to use stoves, barbeques or ovens to heat their homes due to the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.”
Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital issued a “code triage” Monday due to staffing shortages and a large number of COVID-19 patient admissions.
Officials at Henry Mayo triggered the code after a large number of patients were admitted to the hospital to be treated for COVID-19. The hospital is caring for 95 COVID-19-positive patients as of Tuesday, according to hospital spokesman Patrick Moody.
“(Code triage) means all employees are asked to inform Human Resources of their availability to either work extra shifts or to take on a task outside of their usual job responsibilities,” said Moody. “For example, a part-time employee may take on an extra shift, an employee who is out on vacation may be able to come in, an administrative assistant might make himself available to help in the shipping and receiving department if needed, and so on.”
The regional stay-at-home order was extended for what’s expected to be at least another three weeks Tuesday after the Southern California region’s intensive care units’ available capacity remained at 0.0%.