Schools create as safe an environment as possible

Parents should feel reassured to send their children to school when they return home from school in person, according to Barabara Ferrer, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, at a press conference Thursday afternoon. .

“Children are still much less likely, especially younger ones, than adults to be infected,” she said. “They have some of the lowest hospitalization rates, which means that even when infected they are still much less likely to end up with serious illness.”

The COVID-19 case rate for unvaccinated children is four and a half times the case rate for vaccinated children.

“The difference between the hospitalization rates for vaccinated and unvaccinated children is even more dramatic,” Ferrer said, noting that hospitalizations for children are less than one per 100,000. “However, it’s much higher and almost non-existent hospitalizations in vaccinated children. ”

Among unvaccinated adolescents aged 12 to 17, the case rate is 457 per 100,000 people, which is seven times higher than the rate for vaccinated children of the same age group.

“It’s clear that vaccines work to prevent cases, and hospitalizations, among our teens,” Ferrer said, noting any hospitalizations for vaccinated teens.

Children under 12 remain ineligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. Despite this, Ferrer said that “the layering of a lot of protections in our schools” helps reduce the risk of transmitting COVID-19 to young children.

“What we are hearing is that there are relatively high vaccination rates among staff and teachers at school,” she said. “Everywhere you have that extra protection that comes from vaccinations, you’ve added a layer that we’ve never had before. ”

Ferrer also noted protections against masking requirements, distancing and infection control.

“I’m really confident that with the layered approach that we have, the schools are opening with a lot of security right now,” she said.

Public health officials also released the following updated COVID-19 statistics on Thursday:

County-wide COVID-19 cases reported in past 24 hours: 3,865

Total COVID-19 cases in LA County: 1,339,138

New COVID-19 deaths reported in past 24 hours: 23

Total COVID-19 Deaths in LA County: 24,854

Hospitalizations countywide: 1,648, of which 22% were in intensive care

Hospitalizations at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital at Aug 12: 39, with 1,348 discharges since the start of the pandemic.

COVID-19 cases reported in the Santa Clarita Valley in the past 24 hours: 137, of which 108 were from the city of Santa Clarita

Total number of COVID-19 cases in the DMC: 31,350

Total number of COVID-19 deaths in the VCS as of August 11: 311

Percentage of people vaccinated (at least one dose) in the city of Santa Clarita as of August 6: 72.3% *

Percentage of people vaccinated (at least one dose) in the VCS as of August 6: 68.9% *

* Percentages now include vaccination rates for those aged 12-15