New COVID Infections in Pasadena Drop to Lowest in 15 weeks

Pasadena added three new residents to its COVID-19 death toll on Friday, but saw the lowest number of newly reported infections in more than 15 weeks at 9, officials said.

All three of the recent victims were described as male and living in the community at large, as opposed to in long term care facilities, city spokeswoman Lisa Derderian said. Their ages were not available.

But the nine new infections reported on Friday represented the lowest number recorded since Nov. 2, according to city data. Over the prior week, the city saw an average of 18 new daily infections.

While cases have been declining and vaccinations continue, Huntington Hospital Infectious Disease Specialist Dr. Kimberly Schriner warned the public not to become complacent.

“In December and January, we experienced one of the worst surges that our community has ever had,” she said. “Thankfully, we are on the other side of it, and that’s good news. But we are not out of the woods yet.”

“It’s very important that in spite of vaccinations and the fact that we are out of this particular surge, we continue to be vigilant and guarded and do all those things we know to do now: Wear a mask, stay away from large groups of people, wash your hands, practice social distancing and follow the science,” Schriner said. “That will help us get to the point where we all want to be, which is back to a normal life. We have aways to go, there will be other surges. we’re going to have to be prepared for that.”

“We encourage everyone to get a vaccine when their time is available. They are safe, effective, they’ll protect you and protect your family,” she said. “We continue to move forward as we try to get on top of this pandemic and have better times down the road.”

Schriner also thanked the community for its “generous” support of the hospital during the pandemic.

Huntington Hospital officials reported treating 56 COVID-19 patients on Friday, with 11 of them being treated in intensive care units.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health reported 2,459 new COVID-19 infections and 150 new deaths on Friday.

Since the start of the pandemic, county health officials had recorded a total of 1,176,772 infections and 19,662 fatalities.

More than 2,600 patients remained hospitalized with the virus county-wide, according to the LACDPH. Thirty-one percent of them were being treated in ICUs.

L.A. County’s daily test positivity rate was measured at 4.5%, the agency said in a written statement.

L.A. County Director of Public Health Barbara Ferrer called for increased equality in the manner in which COVID-19 vaccinations were being distributed in the county.

“There are marked inequities in vaccination coverage across the county. These inequities are unacceptable, and demand renewed efforts to ensure access to vaccines for people in the hardest-hit communities,” she said. “We are further engaging our community partners to identify additional strategies and resources to ensure a more equitable distribution of vaccines that quickly improves vaccination rates across Black, Brown, and Native communities.”

The California Department of Public Health announced 6,798 new infections and 420 additional deaths on Friday, raising the overall totals to 3,428,518 cases of the virus and 48,344 fatalities.

The state’s average positivity rate over the prior week continued dropping, reaching 3.1%, according to CDPH data. The two-week average had declined to 3.8%.

As of Friday, L.A. County represented 34% of California’s COVID-19 infections and 41% of the state’s deaths.

"We are not out of the woods yet," says Dr. Kimberly Shriner, infectious disease specialist at Huntington Hospital. @huntingtonnews #WearAMask #StopTheSpread pic.twitter.com/Pp6ZfNlwXJ

— City of Pasadena (@PasadenaGov) February 19, 2021