The current decrease in COVID-19 hospitalizations is being compared to the beginning phase of the pandemic in March of last year, Los Angeles Public Health officials said Saturday.

As vaccinations continue to become more readily available, Los Angeles County residents are seeing a major decrease in COVID-19 hospitalizations, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LADPH).

As of Saturday, there were 595 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in L.A. County, 27 percent of which were in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), compared to yesterday’s 634 and Thursday’s 652.

“The declining number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 is a very encouraging trend and reflects the significant decrease in community transmission we experienced a few weeks back,” said LADPH Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer. “We will continue to make progress slowing transmission, preventing suffering, and saving lives when we all do our part to keep each other safe by following the rules and getting vaccinated when it is our turn.”

LADPH has continued to track cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), a serious inflammatory condition associated with COVID-19 that affects children under 21 years old. 

To date, Public Health has identified 158 children with MIS-C in L.A. County including one child death. All 158 children with MIS-C in L.A. County were hospitalized and 40% of the children were treated in the ICU.

Symptoms include fever that does not go away, as well as inflamed body parts such as the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, or gastrointestinal organs. If a child is displaying any of these MIS-C symptoms, LADPH has recommended residents to contact primary care or an urgent care provider. 

COVID-19 vaccine eligibility expanded to all residents 50 through 64 years old in addition to all other eligible groups. On April 15, vaccines are set to become available to all L.A. county residents ages 16 and older. While COVID-19 vaccines remain limited, officials say the County is working to ensure that eligible residents and workers in hard hit communities have increased access to vaccines.

An additional 839 COVID-19 cases and 40 deaths were reported across L.A. County Saturday, according to officials.

This brings the county’s cumulative total to 1,221,605 positive cases of COVID-19 and 23,274 deaths since the onset of the pandemic, according to the LADPH officials.

Testing results are available for over 6,123,000 people, with a cumulative 19 percent of people testing positive, according to officials.

LADPH officials are reminding the public that people are only considered “fully vaccinated” two weeks after their second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or two weeks after a single-dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

The Southern California Region has 32.7 percent staffed adult ICU capacity remaining as of the state’s last update on Tuesday, March 30, according to state health officials.

Residents are encouraged to continue to prevent the spread of COVID-19, to not gather in crowds, stay home when sick, wear a face covering and maintain physical distance from others when outside of the home.

On Saturday, April 3, 2021, 48 new COVID-19 cases were reported in the Santa Clarita Valley, with 26,488 cumulative cases having been reported in the valley over the past year, according to the LADPH. These cases include:

• 20,013 in the City of Santa Clarita* (+40)
• 47 in the unincorporated areas of Bouquet Canyon
• 829 in the unincorporated areas of Canyon Country (+1)
• 3,688 in Castaic* (+5)
• 68 in the unincorporated areas of Newhall
• 1 in Placerita Canyon
• 15 in San Francisquito/Bouquet Canyon
• 17 in unincorporated Sand Canyon
• 128 in the unincorporated areas of Saugus
• 38 in the unincorporated areas of Saugus/Canyon Country (-1)
• 1,123 in Stevenson Ranch
• 334 in the unincorporated areas of Val Verde (+1)
• 187 in the unincorporated areas of Valencia (+2)

*As of Wednesday, March 31, public health officials have recorded 1,985 cumulative cases have been reported at the Peter J. Pitchess Detention Center, including 1,446 at the North County Correctional Facility. Those cases are distributed between both the City of Santa Clarita and Castaic totals. Those cases are distributed between both the City of Santa Clarita and Castaic totals.

In nearby Acton, there have been 463 (+1) cumulative cases, as well as 265 cases in Agua Dulce.

There were six COVID-19 patients in Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital as of Wednesday, March 10, while 1,171 patients have been discharged since the hospital’s first case was reported in March 2020, according to Patrick Moody, spokesperson for the hospital.

One additional death was reported at Henry Mayo on Monday, March 8, with a total of 145 coronavirus deaths at the hospital, with at least 264 COVID-19 deaths reported across the Santa Clarita Valley since March 2020.

Check the Vaccinate L.A. County Website or follow @LAPublicHealth on social media for more information on when and where people in these sectors can get vaccinated.

See All Coronavirus Coverage: Coronavirus Coverage – COVID-19 Map

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