COVID-19 Infection Rate Hits Record Low in Pasadena

The rate of daily COVID-19 infections in Pasadena again reached a record low on Friday as the city reported a single new case of the virus and no additional fatalities for a second day in a row.

Over the prior week, Pasadena reported an average of 2.1 new infections daily, according to city data. The same average was recorded on April 17. Prior to that, the city had not seen such a low rate of infection since March of 2020.

In total, Pasadena Public Health Department officials had documented 11,205 cases of COVID-19. The local death toll has held at 340 since the last fatality in the city was reported on April 15.

County health officials announced that the county would resume use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine formulation on Saturday. Use had previously been halted nationwide as authorities investigated potential serious side effects.

“The decision comes after CDC’s independent Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices reviewed data related to the recent reports of a rare and severe type of blood clot that occurred in individuals after receiving the vaccine,” the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said in a written statement.

“Based on their review of all available data, both the CDC and the FDA determined that the vaccine is safe and effective in preventing COVID-19,” the statement continued. “We are grateful to the scientists and clinicians conducting this thorough review and are confident moving forward in distributing and administering the vaccine.”

It was not immediately clear of the Pasadena Department of Public Health would follow suit. Officials previously said the city had only a small supply of that formulation, amounting to a couple of hundred doses.

Meanwhile, county officials reported 489 new infections and 27 deaths on Friday. Since March of 2020, the county had seen 1,230,786 documented infections and 23,759 fatalities.

Just over 450 patients were being treated at county hospitals, with 24% of them in intensive care units, authorities added.

Los Angeles County’s daily positivity rate was recorded at 0.8%.

At the state level, public health officials announced 1,818 new infections and 94 deaths on Friday, bringing the pandemic totals to 3,626,656 cases of the virus and 60,086 fatalities.

The statewide average positivity rate over the prior week held at 1.5%, according to California Department of Public Health records.

As of Friday, L.A. County represented 34% of California’s total COVID-19 infections and 40% of the state’s fatalities.