Pasadena Health Officials Eyeing Uptick in Younger COVID-19 Patients

The Pasadena Health Department reported 15 new detected COVID-19 infections and no new deaths on Monday, as officials kept a cautious eye on what initially seems to be an increase in infections among younger patients

A total of 1,177 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Pasadena in all, with 88 deaths attributed to the novel coronavirus, according to a health department statement.

Officials have seen a small but noticeable uptick in the number of infections among younger patients over the past week or so, city spokeswoman Lisa Derderian said

”We’ll carefully monitor that and see if we can determine why the higher numbers,” she said. “It’s not a trend yet.”

Seventy-seven of the total known COVID-19 cases in Pasadena, or 6.5 percent, involve patients 20 years older or younger, according to Public Health Department data. Another 133 cases, or 11.3 percent affected people between 21 and 30.

Those who have succumbed to the illness in Pasadena have ranged in age from 49 to 102. People 65 and older represented 78 percent of deaths reported in Pasadena.

Just under 29 percent of people who contracted COVID-19 in Pasadena required hospital care at some point, and 45 of them were treated in intensive-care units, according to city data.

Derderian added that with Independence Day weekend coming up, and more businesses reopening, it’s important not to become complacent when it comes to basic safety measures, such as frequent hand-washing and wearing a face covering.

County-wide, 2,571 new infections were announced Monday, as well as 18 new deaths, according to the Los Angeles County Public Health Department. Total reported cases reached 85,942 on Monday, and deaths climbed to 3,137.

About 7.3 percent of cases across L.A. County involved patients under 18 years old, data shows. About 39.8 percent of infections in the county affected people between 18 and 40.

Ninety-four percent of patients who died from coronavirus had underlying health conditions, officials said. More than 75 percent of them were over 65 years old.

Monday’s numbers represented a trend in the wrong direction, according to L.A. County Director of Public Health Barbara Ferrer.
“Today marks the third day in a week that we have reported 2,000 or more cases of COVID-19,” she said in a written statement. “And while some of the increases are due to test reporting issues, it is clear that much of the increase represents more community transmission.”

“Continuing to slow the spread of COVID-19 will not be possible without a renewed commitment by all of us to take care of each other by wearing cloth face coverings, keeping our distance, and avoiding crowds,” she said.

More than 960,000 COVID-18 tests have been administered in L.A. County, with an infection rate of about 8 percent, officials said.