Pasadena Sees 2 Weeks Without a COVID-19 Fatality; 6 New Cases Reported

Health officials reported a half-dozen new COVID-19 infections on Wednesday, as the city saw two full weeks without a reported fatality, authorities said.

A total of 2,254 novel coronavirus infections and 111 deaths have been reported in Pasadena since the onset of the pandemic in March, according to city data. The last COVID-19 death in the city was reported on Aug. 5.

City spokeswoman Lisa Derderian said she welcomed the news, but urged the public to remain focused and not backslide on the social distancing measures that appear to be making an impact.

“That’s finally a positive milestone, but we need to maintain zero fatalities for several weeks to declare defeat over the virus,” Derderian said.

Labor Day weekend is fast approaching, and Derderian said thus far, virus surges have coincided with holidays.

“These long weekends bring higher numbers after the fact, as much as we instill the need to avoid gatherings and take other precautions that are proving to be effective,” she said.

Wednesday’s data brought the city’s seven-day average daily case rate down a percentage point to 15.4.

Pasadena saw a peak of 80 cases reported on May 20, the data shows. The highest single-day death toll of eight fatalities was reported on April 30.

Huntington Hospital data showed 36 COVID-19 patients being treated on Wednesday, with six tests pending.

Los Angeles County public health officials reported 1,956 new infections and 61 additional deaths. The count included about 100 cases that were backlogged from the previous day.

In all, the county had seen 225,827 infections and 5,392 deaths, according to the L.A. County Department of Public Health.

There were 1,378 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in the county on Wednesday, with 32 percent of them in intensive care units, according to the agency.

With more than 2.1 million tests administered, L.A. County’s overall positivity rate remained at 10 percent.

The California Department of Public Health announced 6,164 new infections statewide on Wednesday, along with 181 deaths.

The state had recorded a total of 638,831 cases of COVID-19 and 11,523 deaths.

Officials reported 6,479 Californians were hospitalized, with confirmed or suspected coronavirus, with 1,761 of them — or 27 percent — being treated in intensive care units.

The state’s positivity rate over the past seven days stood 6.3 percent, officials said. The 14-day rate was 6.6 percent.

Based on available data, Los Angeles County accounted for 35 percent of California’s COVID-19 infections and 47 percent of the state’s fatalities.