20 New COVID-19 Cases Detected in Pasadena as Community Transmission Increases

Officials documented 20 new COVID-19 infections in Pasadena on Wednesday, signaling that transmission of the virus in the community has been increasing.

Of the 20 new cases, several were contracted from family members, while at least one was linked to a holiday party, and another was linked to a workplace outbreak, said city spokesperson Lisa Derderian said.

“That mélange generally suggests widespread transmission is occurring again,” she said.

In total, Pasadena has seen 2,878 infections and 129 fatalities, according to city data. The last death attributed to the virus was reported on Oct. 8.

Huntington Hospital reported treating 17 COVID-19 patients on Wednesday.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health reported 1,843 new infections Wednesday, along with 22 new fatalities.

“Today’s number of new cases surpasses the high daily numbers seen in the last two weeks and is the highest number of new cases not associated with backlog cases reported since late-August,” the agency said in a written statement.

The new figures raised the county’s totals to 313,562 known infections and 7,117 documented deaths.

County officials reported 817 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 on Wednesday, with 29 percent of them being treated in intensive care units. It represented the first time daily hospitalizations have topped 800 since mid-September, health officials said.

“And while this is still significantly lower than the peak of over 2,200 daily hospitalizations in mid-July, the increase in hospitalizations is most likely associated with the continued increase in cases over the past two weeks,” according to the county statement.

L.A. County Director of Public Health Barbara Ferrer said the increase is believed to be due to people not following social distancing guidelines.

“Unfortunately, the continued significant increase in cases reflects many instances where basic prevention measures were lacking,” she said. “Unless we can all get back to protecting each other, our recovery will stall.”

The California Department of Public Health reported 5.338 new infections and 66 new deaths on Wednesday, raising the statewide totals to 940,010 cases of COVID-19 and 17,752 fatalities.

The average positivity rate over the prior seven days, as well as the prior 14 days, were both 3.3 percent, according to a CDPH statement.

As of Wednesday, Los Angeles County represented 33 percent of California’s total COVID-19 cases and 40 percent of the state’s fatalities.