COVID-19 Infections in Pasadena See Uptick on Wednesday

[UPDATED] The Pasadena Public Health Department logged 35 new COVID-19 infections and no additional deaths on Wednesday.

Wednesday’s case count was well over double that of Tuesday, when 14 infections were reported.

The average number of daily infections over the prior week in Pasadena rose for the first time in ten days, inching up to 21.3, according to city data.

The Pasadena Unified School District reported 14 new infections among students and one among staff detected between Monday and Friday.

The new figures raised the city’s pandemic totals to 12,772 confirmed cases of COVID-19, while the local death toll held steady at 354.

Los Angeles County Public Health Department officials reported 2,277 new infections and 28 deaths Wednesday, which brought the county’s pandemic totals to 1,409,545 cases COVID-19 cases and 25,322 fatalities.

Authorities expressed concern over a recent trend of increasing transmission among children under 11 years old, who are not yet eligible for any of the current vaccine formulations.

“Between August 14 and August 21, the case rate increased 50% among children 5 to 11, while the rate increased 13% in children 0 to 4 years old, and 24% in children 12 to 17 years old,” the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said in a written statement. “Over the last week, as the case rate dropped 2-4% in the oldest and youngest age groups, the rate continued to rise 9% among 5- to 11-year-olds.”

Countywide, 5,207 student infections and 729 staff infections were documented between Aug. 15 and Wednesday, “with the vast majority occurring at LAUSD, which tests everyone weekly,” the statement said.

L.A. County Director of Public Health said measures must be taken both in school and off-campus to help stem the transmission among children.

“Getting eligible children and staff vaccinated is the most critical step in reducing risk,” she said. “The more individuals that are vaccinated at schools and in our homes, the greater the protection for those not yet eligible for vaccines.”

“Keeping sick children and those who need to quarantine at home is also a key component of prevention and requires that all of us have a plan for emergency childcare should one or more of our children need to remain home,” Ferrer said.

“Please participate in routine screening testing where it is available, and if you or your child ends up being a close contact of a confirmed case, participate in contact tracing, and follow Public Health isolation and quarantine orders,” she added. “And, as always, it is important to mask up: masks do work to keep both students and teachers safe at school.”

Authorities listed 1,699 patients hospitalized across L.A. County on Wednesday, with 26% of them being housed in intensive care units.

Wednesday’s county-wide test positivity rate was measured at 2.7%

The California Department of Public Health announced 23,387 new infections and 143 deaths on Wednesday, bringing the overall totals to 4,246,050 cases of the virus and 65,430 fatalities.

The statewide weekly positivity rate increased slightly to 4.8%, according to CDPH records.

As of Wednesday, L.A. County represented 33% of California’s COVID-19 infections and 39% of the state’s fatalities.