12 More Coronavirus Cases Confirmed in Pasadena, For a Total of 49

Pasadena health officials confirmed 12 more cases of the Coronavirus on Thursday.

So far 49 Pasadena residents have been infected with the virus.

No one residing in Pasadena has died from the virus, and 15 Pasadenans have been hospitalized across L.A. County at different times since the pandemic arrived here.

Meanwhile, worldwide cases of infection reached 1 million as the Los Angeles County Health Department continues to report increases in nearby communities.

There are 218 cases of the coronavirus combined in Pasadena and several nearby communities.

Pasadena has its own health department and its numbers are not compiled with statistics reported by Los Angeles County Health Department.

So far, no Pasadena residents have died from complications caused by the virus.

Meanwhile, there are 14 cases in Altadena. In nearby Glendale, numbers continue to as Los Angeles County Health Officials have now reported 86 cases of infections there.

Alhambra and Arcadia have 12 and 11 confirmed cases respectively. La Cañada-Flintridge has 8 and Monrovia and South Pasadena each have 7.

On Thursday, health officials reported that the virus could be spread by breathing and talking. The new information came on the heels of call for everyone to wear facial masks while in public.

“It’s really important that folks understand that while the guidance suggests that it would be beneficial to mask up when you’re out and about, we’re much clearer on the benefits that accrue if you do everything else we’ve asked you to do,” said Barbara Ferrer, director of the county’s health department. “Most important is social distancing. You’re not going to spread germs if you’re not close to people. That six-foot barrier is essential for us to maintain, even if you’re masked.”

Ferrer said she did not want people to get a sense of security because they are wearing the masks.

“The mask will not protect you 100 percent, particularly from infecting others, which is really all that they are appropriate for. You need to wash your hands,” she said. “Washing your hands is still the most appropriate action you can take to prevent germs from getting inside you. So wash your hands. Don’t touch your face unless your hands are clean.”

According to county number, 13 additional people have died from the virus, The county also recorded 534 new cases of the deadly virus.

A breakdown of those numbers shows 12-of-the-13 deaths occurred in people over the age of 65; one person was between 41– 65 years old. All head underlying health conditions except for one individual over the age of 65. Additional information regarding some of the new cases is pending further investigation.

Over the last 48 hours, there have been 1047 new cases.

“The psychological impact of rising case counts and deaths is real, both individually and collectively, and I urge everyone to take care of their emotional health and to check in frequently with those in your extended communities,” Ferrer said. “This will be a long haul, and we have many weeks of work ahead before we begin to see the benefits of our efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19. But if we act as one community against this virus, by staying home as much as possible, self-isolating when we are sick and self-quarantining if we’ve been exposed, we will get through this, together.”

To date, the county public health has identified 4045 cases across all areas of LA County, including 78 deaths. Seven cases reported earlier were not LA County residents. As of today, 879 people who tested positive for COVID-19 — 22 percent of positive cases) have been hospitalized at some point during their illness.

Ferrer said 241 were hospitalized due to coronavirus as of midday Thursday across the county, and two-thirds of them had no underlying health conditions. In total, 28 percent of those people were in intensive care units, including five people under age 35.

About 900 people who have tested positive for the illness have been hospitalized at different times.

As of Wednesday, more than 23,300 people in the county have been tested for the virus. Ferrer said about 13 percent of those people turned out to be positive. That percentage is likely inflated because some local labs have not provided complete updates on tests that came back negative She also again stressed that residents should not be purchasing hospital-grade surgical masks, which are in short supply and needed by health- care workers. She said people can use scarves or other fabric, suggesting that people go online for instructions on how to fashion a homemade mask.

“They’re very simple to make. There’s nothing fancy about them,” she said.