11 Die From COVID-19 in Pasadena

Pasadena saw its second deadliest day of the pandemic with 11 additional fatalities reported Monday, along with 80 new infections.

Five of the most recent victims were residents of care facilities, while the other six were members of the general community, according to city spokeswoman Lisa Derderian.

Those who died were infected during the recent holiday surges, she said.

The figure drove Pasadena’s average daily deaths over the prior week to 6.4, which was the highest number yet recorded during the pandemic, Derderian said.

With 80 new infections, the city had documented a total of 9,856 cases of COVID-19 and 237 associated deaths.

Pasadena’s average daily infections over the prior week continued to steadily decline, reaching 74, according to city data. Such a rate had not been seen in the city since Dec. 5. The average peaked at 198 on Jan. 10.

Officials at Huntington Hospital reported treating 164 COVID-19 patients on Monday, with 29 of them being treated in intensive care units.

The hospital has also experienced a steady decline in the average number of newly admitted COVID-19 patients over the past week, reaching the lowest reported rate since early-December at 17, hospital data shows. The figure saw its pandemic peak in late-December with an average of 26 COVID-19 patients admitted daily.

Los Angeles County public health officials reported 6,642 new infections and 43 additional deaths on Monday, raising the county’s totals to 1,079,396 cases of the virus and 15,303 deaths. But officials said the numbers represented a reporting lag from the weekend.

Just under 6,500 COVID-19 patients were being treated at hospitals throughout the county, with 25% of them in ICUs, according to an L.A. County Department of Public Health statement.

L.A. County Director of Public Ferrer once again offered her condolences to the loved ones of those lost to the virus.

“Tomorrow will mark the one-year anniversary of the first case of COVID-19 infection in Los Angeles County. Since then, we have witnessed the horrific impact of this coronavirus on millions of lives in our county,” she said.

“While our metrics are headed in the right direction, if we aren’t careful this can all quickly change,” Ferrer said. “In order to prevent another increase in cases that leads us back to more restrictions, as sectors re-open, we strongly encourage everyone to follow the protocols that are in place and to keep doing what we know will help reduce transmissions –wear a face covering, maintain physical distance, avoid large gatherings and crowds. If you are at high risk for serious disease from COVID-19, we strongly recommend you continue to stay home as much as possible.”

The California Department of Public Health announced 27,007 new COVID-19 infections and 328 additional fatalities, raising the state’s totals to 3,136,158 known cases of the virus and 37,118 deaths.

The statewide average positivity rate over the prior 14 days was measured at 9.4%.

As of Monday, L.A. County represented 34% of California’s total COVID-19 infections and 41% of the state’s fatalities.