The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) confirmed Monday that hospitalizations due to COVID-19 are trending downward in the county.

The number of COVID-19 hospitalizations has steadily decreased over the past two weeks, according to Public Health officials.

“Out of all our nearly 10.3 million L.A. County residents, including those who are not yet eligible for the vaccine, 57% are fully vaccinated. This is just not enough to avoid continued surges in cases. We need to increase vaccination coverage to avoid these cycles of tremendous transmission,” said Public Health Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer. “While we continue efforts that guarantee easy access and build confidence in vaccines, we hope that targeted vaccination requirements help us see increases in the number of people vaccinated in the coming weeks.”

There are 1,218 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized, a decrease of 262 people over the past week and 469 people over the past two weeks, according to Public health officials.

As of August 28, unvaccinated adults 50 and over were more than 17 times more likely to be hospitalized than vaccinated adults over 50.

Hospitalizations in younger unvaccinated adults between 18 to 49 years old are 23 times higher than hospitalization rates for vaccinated residents 18 to 49 years old.

To date, Public Health has identified 1,433,465 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 25,688 deaths.

After improving Public Health’s data processing systems over the weekend, 4,569 backlog cases and 67 deaths were added to the cumulative COVID-19 totals reported by Public Health

As of Monday, Sept.13, 33,623 cumulative cases have been reported in the Santa Clarita Valley since March of 2020, according to Public Health. These cases include:

• 25,623 in the City of Santa Clarita*
• 62 in the unincorporated areas of Bouquet Canyon
• 1,090 in the unincorporated areas of Canyon Country
• 4,272 in Castaic*
• 70 in the unincorporated areas of Newhall
• 4 in Placerita Canyon
• 17 in San Francisquito/Bouquet Canyon
• 22 in unincorporated Sand Canyon
• 159 in the unincorporated areas of Saugus
• 46 in the unincorporated areas of Saugus/Canyon Country
• 1,588 in Stevenson Ranch
• 411 in the unincorporated areas of Val Verde
• 259 in the unincorporated areas of Valencia

In total, the Santa Clarita Valley has experienced at least 311 deaths due to coronavirus since the beginning of the pandemic, according to Public Health.

Public Health encourages everyone who is eligible to get vaccinated. Anyone 12 and older living or working in L.A. County can get vaccinated against COVID-19. Many vaccination sites across the county, including all the County-run sites, are also offering third doses of vaccine to eligible immunocompromised people. Vaccinations are always free and open to eligible residents and workers regardless of immigration status.

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

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.