31 New COVID-19 Cases Reported in Pasadena; Younger Patients Now Outnumber Senior Patients

Thirty-one new COVID-19 infections were reported in Pasadena on Tuesday, where cases among people 18 and 45 years old now outnumber those of senior citizens, reversing the trend seen in previous months, officials said.

Pasadena’s total detected infections stood at 1,758, according to Pasadena Public Health Department data. With no new deaths reported, the city’s death toll remained at 102.

While senior citizens, the elderly and nursing-home patients initially drove the surge in infections, the novel coronavirus has increasingly found a foothold in the population under 40 in recent weeks, according to city spokeswoman Lisa Derderian.

“Our median age for cases is now 50 years old,” she said.

As of Monday, the most recent date demographic information was available, 584 known COVID-19 cases affected people between 18 and 40 years old, surpassing cases among those 65 and older, representing 565 infections.

Health officials suspected the spread was largely due to people rushing to get back to their usual activities too soon, paying insufficient attention to social-distancing protocols.

Beaches are seen crowded with visitors each weekend, Derderian said. Large private gatherings, held against the advice of public health officials, continue to empower the virus’ spread.

“The mindset needs to change,” she said.

Huntington Hospital was treating 59 COVID-19 patients as of Tuesday, according to hospital data.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Public Health announced 2,741 new detected infections and 50 new deaths Tuesday.

Fifty-seven percent of the new cases involved people under 41 years old, the agency said in a written statement.

“This continues to confirm younger people are driving new infections and spread of COVID-19,” the statement said.

And while younger people are less likely to die from COVID-19, they can easily spread the virus to more vulnerable people, officials warned.

“The tragedy of what we are witnessing is that many of our younger residents are interacting with each other and not adhering to the recommended prevention measures, while our older residents continue to experience the results of this increased spread with the worst health outcomes, including death,” L.A. County Director of Public Health Barbara Ferrer said.

“People over the age of 65 years old account for 11 percent of all cases but account for nearly 75 percent of all deaths. Our behaviors, including the wearing of face coverings and the adherence of physical distancing — simple actions of kindness and caring — can protect those we love.”

L.A. County has recorded 161,672 cases of COVID-19 and 4,154 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

With just under 1.56 million coronavirus tests administered, the county’s overall positivity rate reached 9.6 percent, officials said.

County health officials said 2,218 people were hospitalized due to COVID-19 on Tuesday, with 26 percent of them in intensive care units and 18 percent being treated on ventilators.