9 COVID-19 Deaths Reported in Pasadena Friday as Holiday Surges Continue to Take Heavy Toll

New COVID-19 infections were trending downward throughout Los Angeles County on Friday, but deaths attributed to the recent holiday surges continue to inflict a heavy toll on Pasadena, where nine additional fatalities were reported.

It marked the second deadliest day of the pandemic in the city, exceeded only by Dec. 31, when 10 deaths were reported, according to city data.

The victims were ages 57, 59, 65, 70, 77, 82, 83, 84 and 87, city spokeswoman Lisa Derderian said. They were primarily believed to have become infected around Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Pasadena saw 96 new infections on Friday, she said.

Since the onset of the pandemic, Pasadena Public Health Department officials has recorded a total of 9,655 COVID-19 cases and 212 fatalities.

The city’s average daily infections over the prior week remained at 88 for a second day.

Huntington Hospital reported treating 185 COVID-19 patients on Friday, with 36 of them being treated in intensive care units.

Los Angeles County Department of Public Health officials were cautiously optimistic on Friday, noting in a statement that “key indicators” were “trending in the right direction.”

The agency reported 9,227 new infections and 256 deaths, raising the county’s overall totals to 1,054,802 COVID-19 cases and 14,894 fatalities.

“New cases are considerably lower this week, with a decrease of 30% in the seven-day average of daily cases from last week,” according to the county statement. “The test positivity rate has also dropped to 12.7%. On January 1st, the test positivity rate was 20.8%; this is a reduction of 39%in three weeks.”

Just prior to the recent holiday surge, however, the county-wide test positivity rate had dropped to 3.8%.

Officials reported 7,073 COVID-patients hospitalized in L.A. County on Friday, down from over 8,000 in recent weeks. Twenty-four percent of them were being treated in ICUs.

L.A. County Director of Public Health Barbara Ferrer commended the progress and encouraged members of the public to remain cautious.

“It is clear that careful actions many have been taking this month are making a difference. It is also apparent that the road ahead remains difficult,” she said. “Knowing that it will take months to complete vaccinations, and that there is a more infectious variant, means we need everyone to adhere to the rules that allow us to protect each other.”

At the state level, the California Department of Public Health announced 23,024 new infections and 764 additional deaths. Since March, 3,062,068 total infections and 35,024 deaths have been documented.

The statewide positivity rate over the prior two weeks continued to ebb downward, reaching 10.5%, according to the CDPH.

As of Friday, L.A. County accounted for 34% of California COVID-19 deaths and 42% of the state’s infections.