Pasadena Public Health Director Expresses Optimism, Caution

Pasadena’s top doctor said she’s optimistic about the direction of the pandemic, but cautioned that as long as the COVID-19 virus continues spreading, we won’t be “out of the woods.”

Pasadena saw four newly detected cases of COVID-19 on Friday, but no additional deaths were reported, as public health officials announced the county’s positivity rate had reached a record low level.

The city’s pandemic total increased to 11,190, according to Pasadena Public Health Department records. With no deaths reported since Thursday, the local death toll held steady at 340.

It had been more than three weeks since a daily infection count surpassed single digits.

“It’s improved, really improved, but it’s not zero,” Pasadena Director of Public Health Dr. Ying-Ying Goh said. “And so that means that there’s still spread going on. We’re seeing cases and outbreaks and spread among unvaccinated people.”

While she said she’s been encouraged by recent figures, Goh cautioned that the pandemic is not over.

“We’ve seen the number of cases come down significantly. That’s a real positive and people should feel optimistic that the things that they’re doing are helping to keep the case rate down, which includes wearing face masks in public and watching their gatherings and keeping those activities limited following the public health protocol,” she said.

But as lowered infection rates prompt the easing of restrictions, “What we haven’t seen is a continued decline. We are pretty level at this orange tier,” Goh said. “What we would want to see is for our case numbers to continue to decrease.”

“I don’t want anyone to think that we’re out of the woods in any way because as long as COVID is out there replicating, there’s definitely a possibility and likelihood for new variants that might be more infectious, according to Goh. “We’re seeing it on the East Coast and in the Midwest: More infectious variants causing a lot of illness, a lot of hospitalizations and death. We don’t want to be there. And the best thing that we can do is to get vaccinated.”

“It really is a race between these variants that are more infectious and more harmful versus vaccination,” Goh said.

Only the UK variant had been detected in Pasadena, although others have been documented in the state.

The proliferation of vaccines through the region will undoubtedly be the key to rising in the next less restrictive level under the state’s reopening guidelines, she said.

“What makes me optimistic is that so many of our Pasadena residents — already 65% — have received at least one shot. And that makes me really hopeful that we’re going to get to a place, around 80%, where we can really see the benefit of herd immunity,” the doctor said.

More than 40% of Pasadenans over 16  — the minimum age eligible for vaccination — had been fully vaccinated as of Thursday, according to city data.

Health officials were in the process of organization vaccination clinics at local high schools for students 16 and older and their families, Goh added.

Only the Pfizer vaccine formulation had been approved for use in 16- and 17-year-olds.

“We are very hopeful, because Pfizer has also submitted data last week to the FDA for authorization for use among children as young as 12 years, that in the coming weeks younger children will also be eligible,” Goh said.

As the work to get the public vaccinated continues, vigilance remains vital, she said.

“As long as we’re keeping to the public health protocols that require distancing, that require masking, that require limited capacity at some of these events that will now be allowed — If we all do our very best to follow those rules and vaccinate ourselves, then I think that we can gradually move towards what we are looking forward to, which is more and more lifting of restrictions,” Goh said.

“COVID’s not going away. It’s going to be with us for a long, long time, maybe just like the flu every year,” she said. “But I think that we’re trying to get to a place where it’s not going to cause severe illness and death.”