Home » Santa Clarita News » Coronavirus » L.A. County Public Health Identifies Additional COVID-19 Variants

L.A. County Public Health Identifies Additional COVID-19 Variants

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LADPH) announced that several additional variations of COVID-19 have been identified in the county as of Wednesday.

Dr. Barbara Ferrer, director of the LAPDH, noted that three confirmed cases of the Brazil variant and one confirmed case of the South African variant had been identified as of Wednesday, although there may be more unidentified cases in the general population.

“With the majority of variants identified in Los Angeles County being variants of concern, it is even more important that we take all precautions during our re-openings to limit increases in community transmission,’ Ferrer said. “Wear a mask, distance when around others in public, wash your hands, and make an appointment to get vaccinated when you are eligible.”

Public Health has identified one case of the South African variant, B.1.351, and three cases of the Brazilian P.1 variant, both variants of concern. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) classified the South African and Brazilian variants as variants of concern because they are potentially associated with increased transmissibility and reduced susceptibility to certain therapeutics.

Although these are the first reported cases of the South African and Brazilian variant in L.A. County, it is likely there are additional undetected/undiagnosed cases, according to the LADPH.

Among 70 specimens analyzed at the Public Health Laboratory this past week, 64 percent of the specimens analyzed were the UK variant of concern, B.1.1.7 and 20 percent were the California variant of concern identified as B.1.427 or 429, LADPH officials said.

This means 84 percent of the variants identified this past week are variants of concern with the probability of increased transmissibility and more severe disease. Three cases of the New York variant were also detected this week, which is a variant of interest. There were no cases of the Brazilian P.2 variant identified this week.

All key metrics indicate less community transmission; the rate of decrease is slowing for hospitalizations and cases.

An additional 479 COVID-19 cases and 53 deaths were reported across L.A. County Wednesday, according to officials.

This brings the county’s cumulative total to 1,223,174 positive cases of COVID-19 and 23,340 deaths since the onset of the pandemic, according to the LADPH officials.

Testing results are available for over 6,149,358 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.

As of Monday, there were 552 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in L.A. County, 25 percent of which are in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

The Southern California Region has 32.1 percent staffed adult ICU capacity remaining as of the state’s last update on Tuesday, April 6, 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 Wednesday, April 7, 2021, 12 new COVID-19 cases were reported in the Santa Clarita Valley, with 26,540 cumulative cases having been reported in the valley over the past year, according to the LADPH. These cases include:

  • 20,052 in the City of Santa Clarita* (+9)
  • 47 in the unincorporated areas of Bouquet Canyon
  • 829 in the unincorporated areas of Canyon Country
  • 3,697 in Castaic*
  • 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
  • 1,125 in Stevenson Ranch (+2)
  • 335 in the unincorporated areas of Val Verde
  • 188 in the unincorporated areas of Valencia (+1)

*As of Friday, April 2, 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 cumulative cases, as well as 273 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


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

L.A. County Public Health Identifies Additional COVID-19 Variants

5 comments

  1. The tales from the crypt lady just won’t give up her 15
    Minutes of fame enough is enough already.

  2. Exactly Fred,
    Any virologist will tell you all virus will mutate into Variants, and become weaker and weaker, they will spread easier, as they get weaker,

    Barbera is appearing to becoming a variant of her own.

    Their continued fear mongering by Barbera and her (LADPH) cohorts have no credibility advising anyone about anything covid related, especially when it comes to their lack of commenting about the elephant in the room, tens of thousands of illegal migrants from Central America with a minimum of “10% COVID-positive rate” are spreading the virus at overcrowded border facilities.
    The illegal migrants are staying “on top of each other” and then purposely dumped off in Texas California, (Long Beach) and other parts of the country to further the spread of coronavirus and it’s variants,

  3. Your theory is hogwash. Naturally viruses mutate, however with COVID-19, the variants have proven to be more dangerous and deadly, not weaker. Cherry pick what you will, facts are facts and the science behind all this research/studies continues to bear out just how deadly this virus is.

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.