COVID-19 Transmission Continues Rise in Pasadena

COVID-19 transmission continues slowly trending upward in Pasadena on Thursday, with 16 new infections documented by public health officials.

With no new fatalities reported, Pasadena’s pandemic totals stood at 11,413 confirmed COVID-19 infections and 350 deaths, according to Pasadena Public Health Department data.

The city’s average number of daily infections over the prior week increased to 8.4. The average was less than one as recently as June 21.

The virus was continuing to gradually grain ground throughout Los Angeles County, where public health officials documented

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health reported 839 new infections and 11 deaths on Thursday, raising the county-wide totals to 254,354 infections and 24,525 fatalities.

Thursday’s case count represented a 165% increase over last week, according to a statement issued by the agency.

L.A. County’s test positivity rate reached 2.5%, more than doubling from last week’s 1.2%, officials said.

Authorities added that they were closely monitoring the multiple COVID-19 variants circulating in the Southland, particularly, the especially contagious and potent Delta variant.

“The Delta variant has been the most commonly sequenced variant in L.A. County since the beginning of June, now accounting for the majority of variants of concern identified by labs,” according to the county statement. “From June 20 and June 26, the number of sequenced Delta variants was 63, 54% of all sequences collected that week.”

Authorities estimated half of the COVID-19 infections across the nation now involve the Delta variant.

“Given that slightly under 4 million residents in L.A. County are not yet vaccinated, the risk of increased spread remains high,” the statement said. “The data to date suggests fully vaccinated people are well protected from severe infections with the Delta variant.”

Meanwhile, Pfizer announced Thursday that it planned to seek federal approval to for the distribution of third vaccine doses, saying it would improve immunity and could possibly improve defense against the Delta variant, the Associated Press reported.

Just over 2,800 so-called breakthrough infections have been reported in L.A. County, in which people who were fully vaccinated contracted COVID-19, authorities reported. “A total of 195 people, 0.004% of those fully vaccinated, were hospitalized for infections contracted while fully vaccinated. And 21 people died of their infections, 0.0004%. These numbers are very similar to the numbers seen last week.”

County officials listed 296 COVID-19 patients hospitalized county-wide on Thursday, with 24% of them being treated in intensive care units.

The trend makes vaccination all the more critical, L.A. County Director of Public Health Barbara Ferrer said.

“The data makes it increasingly clear that vaccines remain the most important tool we have to keep COVID-19 transmission and the incubation of variants low,” she said.

“Overall COVID-19 trends are going in the wrong direction for everyone, and are particularly concerning given the proliferation of the Delta variant,” Ferrer said. “The most powerful way to protect those in hard-hit communities, many of whom are essential workers, is to close vaccination gaps.”

At the state level, public health officials announced 1,416 new infections and 58 deaths on Thursday, bringing the state totals to 3,722,422 cases of the virus and 63,317 fatalities.

The average statewide positivity rate over the prior week increased to 2.1%, up from 1.9% on Wednesday, according to California Department of Public Health data.

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