The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health), plans to revise the county health officer order to increase the efficiency of COVID–19 contact tracing as schools attempt to reopen for the fall semester.
As school districts reopen, Public Health teams plan to add additional support to schools to assist with contact tracing and appropriate quarantining of students and staff. As a reminder, fully vaccinated students and staff at K-12 schools are not required to quarantine as long as they remain asymptomatic during the 14-day quarantine period, according to Public Health Director, Dr. Barbara Ferrer.
“Staying away from others when you are sick or have been exposed means you’re less likely to spread infection to others – and that makes it less likely that the other people will need to quarantine themselves,” Ferrer said.
Public Health also plans to send County staff to schools that identify large numbers of exposed students to help manage quarantining of students and staff, recognizing how stressful and disruptive quarantining is to a stable learning environment and to parents/caregivers, officials said Thursday.
In K-12 school settings countywide over the week of Aug. 16 through 22, 3,186 new cases were reported, many from LAUSD, where everyone is tested weekly, with the second-highest number coming from other K-12 schools in L.A. County. The overwhelming majority of school sites with cases reported only one case. However, 15 LAUSD and 48 other school sites reported 2 cases, and 84 LAUSD and 39 other school sites reported 3 or more cases.
Of the 14 school outbreaks that opened in August, half were associated with school sports, including outbreaks among the Castaic and West Ranch High School cheer teams in Santa Clarita, which were connected to a July cheer competition.
Participating in contact tracing is critical for ensuring that close contacts get notified that they may have been exposed and need to quarantine to prevent infecting other people if they become infected, according to Ferrer.
“Participating in case investigations and contact tracing and following isolation and quarantine orders can make the difference between having a handful of kids or hundreds of kids out of school. For kids in middle school and high school, the best way to keep your school open is to get vaccinated if you are eligible,” Ferrer said. “When you’re vaccinated, you’re less likely to catch COVID-19, even if you’re exposed. That means that even if you’re exposed, you do not need to quarantine. And you’re less likely to get really sick if you do get infected, which means a quicker return to life as usual once an infection resolves.”
This week, Los Angeles County plans to update the County Health Officer Order to require everyone who receives an isolation order to call Public Health within 24 hours of receiving the order to participate in a case investigation and contact tracing interview, unless they have already been interviewed by Public Health.
It is important to note that identifying close contacts of a confirmed case is always required in all settings, including workplaces, social gatherings, and places of worship, to try to identify and inform those who may be at risk of infection and of spreading COVID-19. Isolation and quarantine are very effective at reducing transmission if implemented in a timely manner.
As of Sunday, Aug. 22, 90 percent of L.A. County residents 65 and over have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and 64 percent of residents 12 and over have been fully vaccinated.
Of L.A. County teens between the ages of 12 and 17, 61 percent have received at least one dose and 53 percent are fully vaccinated.
Out of the nearly 10.3 million L.A. County residents, including those who are not yet eligible for the vaccine, 63 percent have received at least one dose, and 55 percent are fully vaccinated. Countywide, 17,364 third doses have been administered to immunocompromised people.
Public Health confirmed 31 new deaths and 3,226 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, including 710 new cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.
As of Thursday, Public Health identified 1,394,488 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 25,181 deaths. There were also 1,731 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 27 percent of these people are in the intensive care unit (ICU).
Thursday’s test positivity rate is 2.7 percent, a decrease from last week’s same-day rate of 3.7 percent
As of Thursday, Aug. 27, 31,507 cumulative cases have been reported in the Santa Clarita Valley since March of 2020, according to Public Health. These cases include:
- 24,511 in the City of Santa Clarita* (+120)
- 58 in the unincorporated areas of Bouquet Canyon
- 1,015 in the unincorporated areas of Canyon Country (+5)
- 4,177 in Castaic* (+569)
- 70 in the unincorporated areas of Newhall
- 4 in Placerita Canyon
- 16 in San Francisquito/Bouquet Canyon (+1)
- 19 in unincorporated Sand Canyon
- 156 in the unincorporated areas of Saugus (+1)
- 46 in the unincorporated areas of Saugus/Canyon Country
- 1,510 in Stevenson Ranch (+8)
- 389 in the unincorporated areas of Val Verde (+3)
- 246 in the unincorporated areas of Valencia (+3)
*As of Wednesday, Aug. 25, public health officials have recorded 2,116 cumulative cases at the Peter J. Pitchess Detention Center, including 1,539 at the North County Correctional Facility. Those cases are distributed between both the City of Santa Clarita and Castaic totals.
The sudden influx of Castaic cases is currently unexplained by Public Health. KHTS noted a sudden decrease in Castaic cases on Friday, Aug. 20.
| Date | Castaic COVID-19 Cases | # New Cases Compared to Previous Date |
| Aug 19 | 4,075 | |
| Aug 20 | 3,550 | -525 |
| Aug 21 | 3,565 | 15 |
| Aug 22 | 3,572 | 7 |
| Aug 23 | 3,583 | 11 |
| Aug 24 | 3,599 | 16 |
| Aug 25 | 3,608 | 9 |
| Aug 26 | 4,177 | 569 |
On Friday, Aug. 27, Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital reported another COVID-19 related death, bringing the hospital’s total number of deceased to 159, according to spokesperson Patrick Moody. This is the fifth death due to coronavirus reported at the Santa Clarita hospital since Sunday.
In total, the Santa Clarita Valley has experienced at least 301 deaths due to coronavirus since the beginning of the pandemic, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
To learn how to make a vaccine appointment, what verifications you will need to show at your vaccination appointment, and much more, visit the L.A. County Vaccination website (English) or Vacunate Los Angeles website (Spanish).
Vaccinations are always free and open to eligible residents and workers regardless of immigration status.
See All Coronavirus Coverage: Coronavirus Coverage – COVID-19 Map
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