COVID-19 Hospitalization Across L.A. County Continue to Climb, Nearly Exclusively Among Unvaccinated

The COVID-19 Delta variant continued spreading in Pasadena and county-side on Monday, with 32 infections reported in Pasadena on Monday, following 49 over the weekend, officials said.

One new fatality was also reported on Monday, officials said. The death was that of a 65-year-old man who had not been vaccinated. His date of death was not available Monday afternoon.

The figures raised the city’s pandemic totals to 11,371 cases of COVID-19 and 352 deaths.

With an average of 24.7 new infections detected in Pasadena daily over the past week, the rate of infection was at its highest point since Valentine’s Day, according to Pasadena Public Health Department records.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health reported a downturn in new infection at 1,966, down from more than 3,000 on Friday, although officials note statistics on Monday can lag behind due to the weekend.

Four deaths were documented, raising the county’s pandemic totals to 1,285,771 infections and 24,631 deaths.

But hospitalizations continued to climb, nearly doubling in two weeks to 745, the agency said in a written statement.

“Almost everyone hospitalized with COVID-19 in L.A. County is unvaccinated,” the statement said. “Nationally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that more than 97% of patients who have been hospitalized with COVID-19 since January have not been vaccinated.”

“ And while post-vaccination infections and hospitalizations can happen, these individuals tend to experience less severe illness because the vaccines are highly protective,” the county statement said.

L.A. County’s daily test positivity rate was recorded at 5.2%.

Officials attributed to current increase in virus transmission to the especially contagious and virulent Delta variant

“As we continue to experience significant community transmission fueled by the Delta variant, every effort to reduce spread is important. This includes the additional layer of masking and testing protections the state health officer order requires at health care and high-risk congregate living facilities,” L.A. County Director of Public Health Barbara Ferrer said.

“Every worksite in L.A. County also has an opportunity to reduce virus transmission by adhering to the requirement that all employees and customers wear their masks indoors,” she said. “We need the additional protection while more individuals get vaccinated if we want to get back to low rates of transmission.”

Public health officials at the state level announced 21,940 new infections and 65 fatalities on Monday, bringing the overall totals to 3,807,971 cases of COVID-19 and 63,806 deaths.

The statewide weekly positivity rate continued trending up, reaching 5.3%, according to California Department of Public Health data.

As of Monday, L.A. County represented 34% of California’s COVID-19 infections and 39% of the state’s deaths.