15 New COVID-19 Infections Reported in Pasadena; County Officials Encouraged by Declining Hospitalizations Rate

Pasadena saw 15 new COVID-19 infections on Tuesday, which marked the city’s 13th day in a row without a coronavirus fatality, officials said.

The seven-day average of new cases detected in Pasadena stood at 16.4, down from a peak of 31 cases per day less than four weeks ago on July 22, according to city data.

On Monday, the city saw only three reported cases, marking the lowest count since June 2, data shows.

The virus continued to spread fastest among younger patients, as has been the trend in recent weeks.That’s in contrast to the beginning of the pandemic, when the majority of new cases were among senior citizens, said city spokeswoman Lisa Derderian.

“Among all age categories, the two top age groups with the largest increases in case rates are 31 to 40 and 41 to 50,” Derderian said.

Pasadena had seen 2,248 COVID-19 cases and 111 deaths since the onset of the pandemic in March, according to public health data.

Huntington Hospital was treating 35 COVID-19 patients as of Tuesday, with 17 tests pending, according to hospital data.

Meanwhile, public health officials at the county level pointed to continued declines in hospitalization and death rates as indicators that progress is being made, though they say much more must be done to bring the novel coronavirus into check and allow Los Angeles County to reopen.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health announced 1,003 new infections, which was the lowest number reported since June 14. But the number “is missing lab reports from one of the larger labs which is contributing to the lower number of new cases,” the agency said in a written statement.

Sixty-four additional deaths were reported in Los Angeles County, departing from a trend of lowered deaths seen in recent days. A total of 63 deaths were reported in the three days prior to Tuesday, county data shows.

The county saw an average of 43 deaths per day in late-July, health officials said. By Monday, that had declined to 30.

In all, L.A. County has reported 224,031 novel coronavirus infections and 5,335 fatalities as of Tuesday.

“In the last month, daily hospitalizations have decreased by 37 percent, from 2,219 in mid-July to 1,388 in mid-August,” the statement said. “There are 1,352 confirmed cases currently hospitalized and 32 percent of these people are confirmed cases in the ICU.”

Recent state data reporting issues were affecting only reported cases, and were not impacting information regarding hospitalization and death rates, county officials said.

“The decreasing number of daily hospitalizations is one of the best indicators that our efforts over the last few weeks are working, as it is an accurate representation of how many people are currently seriously ill from the virus,” according to the county statement.

L.A. County Director of Public Health Dr. Barbara Ferrer urged the public to remain vigilant when it comes to spreading COVID-19.

“As we work together to prevent more illness and death from COVID-19, it is important to note that while testing can help identify people who are infected, testing alone cannot prevent all transmission,” Ferrer said.

“Individuals who test positive are capable of infecting others 48 hours before they have any symptoms or a positive test result,” Ferrer said. “The best way to prevent transmission is to take universal precautions — keep six feet apart from others, wear a face covering outside your home, and wash hands often.”

The California Department of Public Health announced 4,636 new infections, bringing the total number of cases detected in the state to 632,667.

An additional 100 deaths were also reported statewide, raising the virus’ total death toll to 11,342.

“The seven-day positivity rate is 6.8 percent and the 14-day positivity rate is 6.5 percent,” the CDPH reported in a written statement.

Based on available information on Tuesday, Los Angeles County accounted for 35% of California’s COVID-19 cases, as well as 47% of the state’s fatalities.