By the Numbers: Pasadena Health Director Updates City’s COVID Situation

Dr. Ying-Ying Goh, Pasadena’s Public Health Director, gave the City Council some specific COVID-19 numbers Monday – also saying, “the testing results that the Health Department has received by providers that are testing in our community has doubled over the past few days.”

The latest numbers provided by Goh during the meeting were:

• “Global cases total over 600,000, and we have nearly 30,000 deaths.”

• “In the United States, we have over 120,000 cases and over 2,000 deaths.”

• “In California, we have 4,600 cases and 100 deaths.’’

• In L.A. County, over 2,000 cases and 37 deaths.’’

• “And in Pasadena today, we have confirmed 25 cases and zero deaths.’’

(By Tuesday morning, these numbers had increased.)

“It indicates to us, in addition to an increased amount of testing (locally), the increase in number of cases is likely due to an acceleration of the pandemic as well,’’ Goh said.

“We have a total of 170 test results (in the city) that have been received,’’ she said, adding that the city has “about a 10-11 percent positivity rate, (and) that’s about parallel to what L.A. County is seeing.’’

The number of local cases might swell in the coming days.

Goh said that Huntington Hospital currently has 19 COVID patients, plus “47 patients who are waiting on their test results who are suspected cases.’’

Of those patients, she said, nine COVID-positive cases are in Huntington’s ICU, with eight suspected cases.

Two of the patients in Huntington are Pasadena residents, she said.

In addition, Goh said Huntington has 70 total ventilators on site, with 28 total ventilators in use.

She said, as well, that should the patient total start to surge, Huntington has the ability to add 134 more beds to the 630 it already has.

City Manager Steve Mermell added that, “The hospital indicated that they can obtain 100 additional ventilators on top of the 70 that they already have.”