Pasadena Poised to Move Into ‘Red Tier’ Under State COVID-19 Framework

Officials in Pasadena and throughout Los Angeles County were preparing Monday for the anticipated easing of COVID-19 restrictions as early as next week as the region moves out of the most restrictive purple tier of the state’s COVID-19 framework and into the second-strictest red tier.

Cases remained low in Pasadena, where 10 new infections and no new deaths were reported Monday, according to city data. The new infections raised the citywide total to 10,993, with the death toll at 320.

Huntington Hospital reported treating 35 COVID-19 patients, with six of them being treated in intensive care units.

At the county level, public health officials reported 880 new infections and 13 additional deaths, but reminded the public that reporting figures over the weekend are often underrepresented. All told, L.A. County has recorded 1,204,018 cases of COVID-19 and 22,041 fatalities.

“The county has returned to daily case numbers that are at pre-surge levels,” the L.A. County Department of Public Health said in a written statement. “The seven-day average number of daily cases by episode date has continued to decrease, and as of February 28 is 700.”

The continued decrease in new infections, coupled with a change in policy put in place by state health officials, could mean L.A. County could emerge from the “purple tier” under the state’s “Blueprint for a Safer Economy” as early as next week.

Once a region has distributed at least 2 million doses of vaccine to “communities with the lowest score in the Healthy Places Index,” the standard for moving from the purple tier to the ted tier will be raised from seven new infections per 100,000 people to 10, county officials said.

“The state anticipates administering 2 million doses to residents in hard-hit communities by the end of the week,” according to the county statement.

The county’s case rate was already below 10 cases per 100,000 residents as of last week, officials added.

“If this week’s adjusted case rate remains below 10 new cases per 100,000 people, our understanding is that within 48 hours of the state announcing the vaccine trigger has been met, Los Angeles County, along with other counties with qualifying case rates, would move into the red tier,” the statement said. “We will be working with the Board of Supervisors and our sector partners to prepare appropriate modifications to the Health Officer Order reflecting the County’s move to the red tier.”

Monday’s daily test positivity rate in L.A. County was recorded at 2%.

L.A. County Director of Public Health Barbara Ferrer said there was cause for encouragement, but not for complacency.

“We are at a point in the pandemic where we have a great deal of optimism. We are making progress on vaccinating our residents, cases, hospitalizations and deaths are decreasing, and we are likely moving into a less restrictive tier,” Ferrer said.

“In order for us to maintain progress, we will need to continue making slowing transmission a central part of our day-to-day lives. That means choosing not to travel and choosing not to gather with large numbers of people we do not live with,” according to Ferrer. “It also means wearing a mask and keeping distance whenever we are outside of our home and around others. Let’s please keep this positive momentum going so all of our children can return to school as safely as possible and we can continue to prevent illness and save lives.”

The U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention updated mask guidance on Monday for people who have been “fully vaccinated” against COVID-19, according to city spokesperson Lisa Derderian.

“The CDC announced guidelines that fully vaccinated people can gather indoors with other fully vaccinated people in small groups without wearing masks or practicing physical distancing,” she said.

“Fully vaccinated means they have received the second dose of a Pfizer or Moderna vaccine more than two weeks prior, or received a single dose of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine at least two weeks prior,” Derderian added.

“Fully vaccinated people can also visit with unvaccinated people from a single household who are at low risk for severe COVID-19 disease indoors without wearing masks or physical distancing,” she said.

“Fully vaccinated people should continue to wear a mask and maintain physical distance in public,” she said. “They should mask, physically distance, and practice other prevention measures when visiting unvaccinated people at increased risk for severe COVID-19 disease or who have an unvaccinated household member at increased risk for severe COVID-19 disease, and when around unvaccinated people from multiple households. Fully vaccinated people should also avoid medium- and large-sized in-person gatherings.”

Since people under 16 are not currently eligible to be vaccinated, Derderian said it was recommended that vaccinated family members of children in that age group continue to wear masks while around others

At the state level, officials reported 3,258 new COVID-19 infections and 100 additional deaths on Monday, raising the state’s totals to 3,504,652 cases of the virus and 54,224 fatalities.

The statewide average positivity rate over the prior two weeks declined to 2.2%, which was the lowest rate measured since records began being kept in April, according to California Department of Public Health records.

As of Monday, L.A. County accounted for 34% of California’s total COVID-19 infections and 41% of the state’s deaths.