Case Rates Remain High in Pasadena after the Holidays

Recent new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Pasadena residents. [City of Pasadena]

Pasadena reported Wednesday that new COVID-19 cases in the city dropped daily over the past five reported days but still averaged over 410 per day.

The city also said that younger people are getting sick more than previously.

“Median age of cases is now 35 years old, after dropping twice over the past week from 37. This change reflects the high number of cases we have been receiving among younger age groups,” spokesperson Lisa Derderian said Tuesday.

The Huntington Hospital continues to see triple-digit COVID-19-positive patient counts.

On Wednesday, the hospital reported 116 coronavirus-infected patients under its care. 14 of those patients were in the hospital’s ICU.

According to the report, 43 percent of the COVID-19-positive patients in Huntington Hospital were vaccinated. This represents a significant increase from most previous reports, in which vaccinated patients were often about half that percentage.

Meanwhile, the number of COVID-positive patients in Los Angeles County hospitals continued rising Wednesday, with state figures putting the total at 4,799, up from 4,701 on Tuesday. The number of those patients being treated in intensive care rose to 700, up from 680 a day earlier.

With increased hospitalizations, higher death totals always follow, and the county reported 59 new virus-related fatalities Wednesday. That brought the county’s overall virus death toll to 28,181.

Another 30,081 infections were also confirmed, giving the county a cumulative pandemic total of 2,343,821.

While the overall COVID hospitalization number remains below last winter’s peak of more than 8,000, health officials stressed that the rising patient population is creating strain at hospitals that were already coping with staffing shortages. Those shortages have been exacerbated by COVID cases among health-care workers, which have also been rising.

The average daily rate of people testing positive for the virus rose slightly Wednesday, to 16.9%, up from 16.3% on Tuesday. The rate had fallen each day since last week, when it topped 20%.

A month ago, the testing-positivity rate was just 2%.