City Marks One Week Without a COVID-19 Death, as 5 New Cases Are Confirmed Wednesday

Five new COVID-19 infections were reported in Pasadena on Wednesday, but no additional fatalities, authorities said.

Wednesday’s count brought the total number of novel coronavirus infections to 2,660, while the local death toll remained at 129, according to city data. The last death was reported on Oct. 8.

Twenty-four patients were being treated at Huntington Hospital, according to the facility.

Los Angeles County Public Health officials announced 1,349 new infections and 22 new deaths on Wednesday.

The county has seen 285,016 cases of COVID-19 and 6,812 fatalities in all, according to the L.A. County Department of Public Health.

Seven-hundred and 20 patients were being treated for the virus at county hospitals, with 27 percent of them in intensive care units, the agency said in a written statement.

County officials issued a warning regarding an increase in outbreaks at workplaces.

“During the two-week period of September 6 through September 19, there were 23 outbreaks in non-healthcare and non-residential workplaces, the lowest number seen since June,” according to the county statement. “During the two-week period from September 20 through October 4, we’ve seen the number of worksite outbreaks increase to 39.”

Despite recent progress in slowing the spread of the novel coronavirus, “There is still a great deal of transmission of COVID-19 across our communities and we remain one of a handful of counties in the state that is still in Tier 1,” according to L.A. County Director of Public Health Barbara Ferrer.

“We are beginning to see modest increases in cases and outbreaks, and while this may be expected as more people are engaged in activities at work and in their private lives that put them in contact with others, it is concerning and slows down our recovery journey,” she said. “We need to keep doing what works; each of us has the opportunity every single day to make the right choices that reduces transmission of COVID-19 and saves lives.”

At the state level, officials reported 2,666 new infections and 58 additional deaths Wednesday, bringing the totals to 855,072 and 16,639, respectively.

The average positivity rate over the previous seven days held at 2.7 percent, and the 14-day rate was 2.6 percent, the California Department of Public Health said in a written statement.

As of Wednesday, L.A. County represented 33 percent of California’s COVID-19 cases and 41 percent of the state’s fatalities.