Pasadena Leads State in COVID-19 Vaccination Rate: Report

Pasadena leads the state in terms of COVID-19 vaccination rate, according to a report by ABC.

With more than 72.2% of residents above the minimum eligible age of 12 fully vaccinated and more than 84% having received at least one dose, no other California city has recorded a greater rate of vaccination, ABC reported Sunday.

Pasadena’s vaccination figures are expected to rise Tuesday, when the Pasadena Public Health Department provides its weekly update.

The City of Roses’ closest competitor is San Francisco, with about 70% of eligible residents fully vaccinated, according to ABC.

The rates of vaccination in both Los Angeles County and at the state level stood at roughly 55%, according to the latest available data.

In Long Beach, which is the only L.A. County city other than Pasadena to have its own municipal health department, the rate of fully vaccinated residents older than 12 was documented by health officials at 63.6%.

Pasadena Public Health Director Dr. Ying-Ying Goh said she could not confirm the city’s status compared with others in the state.

“The data is not consistent from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, necessarily,” she said. “Some jurisdictions are not using the same denominator, and sometimes the state calculations are different from local. We can only confirm that our data is accurate — drawn from the immunization registry, based on people who enter Pasadena as their place of residence.”

Nonetheless, officials were pleased with the local vaccination rate.

“We thank the community for keeping our vaccine percentage high to protect each other and can’t stress enough the importance of getting vaccinated to be able to participate or attend graduations, camps, sporting events, concerts, et cetera,” city spokeswoman Lisa Derderian said. “And although we’ll never forget the tragedy of this past year, we hope we can move forward to rebuild lives, economy and restore more normal behavior.”

Meanwhile, the PPHD reported seven new COVID-19 infections, representing the highest single-day count since May 7, and no deaths on Monday.

At least four of the new infections were among fully vaccinated people who shared a household, Derderian said.

In all, the city had recorded 11,314 COVID-19 cases and 349 deaths.

The average number of detected infections over the prior week inched up to 2.3, according to city data.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health reported 135 new infections and 2 deaths on Tuesday, raising the county’s totals to 1,246,436 known infections and 24,415 fatalities.

Officials said 212 patients were hospitalized with the virus county-wide.

For those who are unvaccinated, Tuesday’s reopening will provide an increased level of risk of contracting COVID-19, L.A. County Director of Public Health Barbara Ferrer said.

“In any setting, if you are not vaccinated and around people outside your household, your mask offers the best protection against the virus,” she said in a written statement.

“We continue to get vaccines to everyone who wants one, and to help answer questions and provide vaccine information to those making a decision on getting vaccinated,” Ferrer added. “With distancing requirements and capacity limits in almost all settings lifted, wearing an appropriate mask is critically important for those not yet vaccinated, including the 1.2 million children between the ages of 2 and 12. Unvaccinated adults that are in close contact with others should consider wearing a double mask or a respirator, which offer more protection for the wearer.”