Home » Santa Clarita News » Coronavirus » Flu Vaccination Further Encouraged By Public Health Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

Flu Vaccination Further Encouraged By Public Health Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

Public health officials are further encouraging residents to receive the flu vaccination to prevent hospital overcrowding amid the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Every year, tens of thousands of people nationwide are hospitalized or die from flu-related illnesses. Considering the toll COVID-19 has had on our communities and the healthcare system, “now more than ever it is important to be protected from influenza by getting immunized,” said the Los Angeles County Public Health Department on Friday.

“Immunizations are safe and provide protection against the harmful effects of influenza and can also help keep people out of the hospital freeing up critical hospital resources,” said public health officials.

Everyone six months and older should be immunized against the flu. Anyone can get flu, even healthy people, but people at high risk of developing serious flu-related complications include people 65 years and older, pregnant women, children younger than five years and people with chronic medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes, heart disease or HIV, according to the department. 

41 additional Santa Clarita Valley coronavirus cases have been reported as part of the 1,072 new cases across Los Angeles County on Friday.

The Santa Clarita Valley coronavirus total is now 6,615 with the Los Angeles County total reaching 287,222, according to Public Health.

An additional 27 deaths have been reported Friday, bringing the cumulative total in L.A. County to 6,855, according to the department.

An estimated 2,850,000 coronavirus tests have been conducted as of Friday, with about 9 percent of those tests returning positive, according to public health officials.

Although Los Angeles County met the State’s metric thresholds for Tier 2 last month, L.A. County remains in Tier 1 due to the current adjusted daily case rate of 9 cases per 100,000 residents.

Per the State guidelines, to move to Tier 2, the County’s case rate needs to be 7 or fewer new cases a day per 100,000 residents for two consecutive weeks. The County’s test positivity rate is 3.7 percent which places the County in Tier 3 for this metric, according to public health.

There are 725 people currently hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Friday, 26 percent of which are in the ICU.

As of Friday, a total of 6,615 cumulative cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in the Santa Clarita Valley since testing began in March. These include:

  • 3,914 in the City of Santa Clarita*
  • 161 in the unincorporated areas of Canyon Country
  • 2,141 in Castaic*
  • 28 in the unincorporated areas of Saugus
  • 187 in Stevenson Ranch
  • 51 in the unincorporated areas of Valencia
  • 91 in the unincorporated areas of Val Verde
  • 14 in the unincorporated areas of Newhall
  • 10 in the unincorporated areas of Bouquet Canyon
  • 11 in the unincorporated areas of Saugus/Canyon Country
  • Seven in unincorporated Sand Canyon

As of Thursday, Oct. 15, officials had recorded 1,361 cumulative cases among prisoners at the North County Correctional Facility, and 513 at the Peter J. Pitchess Detention Center. Those cases are counted in both the City of Santa Clarita and Castaic totals.

Additionally, 78 cumulative cases were confirmed in nearby Acton as well as 30 in Agua Dulce.

An analysis of available data indicates that as of Thursday, Oct. 15, approximately 28.5 percent of all cumulative cases in and around the Santa Clarita Valley can be attributed to the inmate population at the North County Correctional Facility and the Pitchess Detention Center.

As of Wednesday, Oct. 14, Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital has conducted 9,238 COVID-19 tests. Of those, 964 have tested positive, and 30 tests are still pending with Henry Mayo, according to Patrick Moody, spokesperson for the hospital.

There are 11 patients in the hospital as of Wednesday, while 280 patients have been discharged since the hospital’s first case was reported in March, according to Moody.

Three additional deaths at Henry Mayo were reported Wednesday bringing, with a total of 29 COVID-19 deaths have been reported at Henry Mayo, with the Santa Clarita Valley’s total standing at least 67, according to public health officials.

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


Sponsored Articles


Do you have a news tip? Call us at (661) 298-1220, or send an email to newstip@hometownstation.com. Don’t miss a thing. Get breaking KHTS Santa Clarita News Alerts delivered right to your inbox. Report a typo or error, email Corrections@hometownstation.com

KHTS FM 98.1 and AM 1220 is Santa Clarita’s only local radio station. KHTS mixes in a combination of news, traffic, sports, and features along with your favorite adult contemporary hits. Santa Clarita news and features are delivered throughout the day over our airwaves, on our website and through a variety of social media platforms. Our KHTS national award-winning daily news briefs are now read daily by 34,000+ residents. A vibrant member of the Santa Clarita community, the KHTS broadcast signal reaches all of the Santa Clarita Valley and parts of the high desert communities located in the Antelope Valley. The station streams its talk shows over the web, reaching a potentially worldwide audience. Follow @KHTSRadio on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

KHTS AM 1220 & FM 98.1 - Santa Clarita Radio - Santa Clarita News

Flu Vaccination Further Encouraged By Public Health Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

One comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

About KHTS Newsroom

KHTS FM 98.1 & AM 1220 focuses on Santa Clarita news, traffic, weather, sports, and also plays music. Bringing you SCV breaking news first and keeping you up to date with Santa Clarita events.