35 New COVID-19 Cases Reported in Pasadena as L.A. County Sees Largest-Ever Single-Day Increase in New Infections

Pasadena health officials reported 35 new COVID-19 infections and no new deaths on Thursday as surrounding Los Angeles County saw a record number of new cases reported, authorities said.

The city has seen 103 new COVID-19 cases since Monday, and 167 over the past seven days.

In all, 1,620 infections have been reported in the city, and 103 patients have succumbed to the virus, city data shows.

Sixty patients were being treated at Huntington Hospital for COVID-19 on Thursday, up from 52 on Wednesday, according to hospital data. Twenty-six tests were pending.

Authorities at the city and state levels continued urging social distancing, hand-washing and the use of masks when in public, with a special focus on those under 40 years old, who make up an increasing proportion of those infected.

“The median age for cases is now 51 years old, which shows that younger people are becoming infected,” Pasadena city spokeswoman Lisa Derderian said.

Officials were eyeing Independence Day gatherings and recent protests as possible reasons for the spike in cases, especially among younger patients.

“Several cases are being tracked to 4th of July weekend socializing and potentially protest activity prior,” Derderian said. “The increase in community spread is a concern.”

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health reported its highest-ever number of new infections on Thursday at 4,592, along with 59 new deaths.

“This is the largest increase in new cases, surpassing the count from July 14,” the agency said in a written statement. “Over the last 48 hours there have been 7,350 new cases.”

L.A. County had seen 147,468 cases of COVID-19 and 3,988 deaths since the start of the pandemic as of Thursday.

Officials said 2,173 patients were hospitalized, down from a record of 2,193 on Wednesday. Twenty-seven percent of those patients were in intensive care units, and 17% were being treated with ventilators.

L.A. County had seen 147,468 cases of COVID-19 and 3,988 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

State public health officials reported 8,544 new detected COVID-19 infections and 118 new deaths on Thursday, bringing the state’s totals to 356,178 known infections and 7,345 deaths.

“The seven-day average number of new cases is 8,526 per day,” the California Department of Public Health said in a written statement. “The 7-day average from the week prior was 8,043.”

Los Angeles County on Thursday accounted for 41% of the state’s coronavirus cases and 54% of the state’s deaths.