Pasadena Records 300th COVID-19 Death

Pasadena reached a grim milestone Thursday as public health officials reported the city’s 300th COVID-19 death.

Along with one death, 22 additional cases of the virus were detected, bringing the city-wide total to 10,733, according to city data. No details regarding the most recent victim were available.

Pasadena Director of Public Health Dr. Ying-Ying Goh urged continued vigilance against the virus.

“It’s a very hopeful time because of the increasing number of people completing vaccination and the decrease in daily new cases,” she said. “Unfortunately, the tragic fact remains that we are still losing community members every day to COVID-19, our case rates are still higher than in September and we are concerned about new, more infectious variants that will become widespread in the coming weeks.”

“That means that even as we start to bring more children back to school and reopen some business activities, we must use every tool we have to keep COVID-19 transmission as low as possible. That includes wearing high quality masks at all times when we are around others and avoiding travel and mixing with other households,” according to Goh.

According to city data, more than 2,400 Pasadenans had received their initial doses of COVID-19 vaccines, while another 7,325 had been inoculated with both doses.

“Please encourage all individuals who are currently eligible for the vaccine to get vaccinated at a local pharmacy, their doctor’s office, or through a public health department,” Goh said. “New locations  — including [federally qualified health centers,] pharmacies and CSULA — can be found on the myturn.ca.gov , PPHD and [Los Angeles County Public Department of Public Health] websites.

Huntington Hospital reported treating 67 COVID-19 patients on Thursday, with 12 of them being housed in intensive care units.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health reported 2,873 new COVID-19 infections and 153 additional deaths on Thursday, bringing the county-wide totals to 1,174,340 known infections and 19,514 fatalities.

County officials said 2,757 patients were hospitalized with the virus in L.A. County, with 31% of them being treated in ICUs.

The countywide daily test positivity rate was recorded at 5%, according to a statement issued by the L.A. County Department of Public Health.

“Public Health is concerned that actions over the Super Bowl weekend and this past holiday weekend could lead to increases in cases if individuals were not taking precautions and businesses were not fully adhering to their sector specific protocols,” according to the statement. “Public Health is carefully monitoring data over the upcoming weeks to see the impact across County communities.”

Anyone who has been exposed to a crowd was urged to get a COVID-19 test and isolate themselves immediately if they show any symptoms.

L.A. County Director of Public Health Barbara Ferrer implored the public to continue doing their part to stem the spread of the virus.

“As everyone knows who is sick with COVID-19 or worrying about a loved one in the hospital infected with the virus, we are not out of the woods yet. With almost 3,000 people testing positive still, community transmission remains high,” she said.

“It is so important residents and businesses continue to follow the guidance and directives in the Health Officer Order so that our recovery journey continues as we slow the spread of the virus,” according to Ferrer. “Each day more and more people are vaccinated and if we diligently adhere to the public health safety measures while increasing vaccinations, we can get to the end of this pandemic and save many more lives.”

State public health officials announced 5,573 new infections and 417 deaths on Thursday, bringing the statewide tallies to 3,421,720 cases of the virus and 47,924 deaths.

The statewide average positivity rate over the prior week fell to 3.2%, and the 14-day rate was 3.9%.

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