Pasadena Sees 4 New COVID-19 Infections From 1 Family

Pasadena health officials reported four new cases of COVID-19 in the city on Thursday, which represented one adult and three children who lived in the same household.

No new deaths were reported, and the city’s overall tally stood at 2,489 detected infections and 121 deaths.

The three new cases involving minors were acquired through “household contact,” city spokeswoman Lisa Derderian said. No further details were available.

People who come down with COVID-19 should quarantine themselves from other family members they live with, officials said. Those in the household should follow the same guidelines as outside the home, such as wearing a mask and cleaning often.

A total of 175 infections involving people under 18 have been reported since the onset of the pandemic, according to city data.

Over the previous seven days, Pasadena had seen an average of 4.9 new daily cases, records show.

Huntington Hospital reported treating 27 COVID-19 patients on Thursday, with two tests pending.

As the Jewish new year commemoration of Rosh Hashanah was set to begin Friday evening, city officials issued a statement Thursday urging those taking part in the tradition to “observe in a safe manner.”

“The safest way to observe the holidays continues to be online services at home in the company of those you live with. Many synagogues are streaming online services,” according to the statement.

“If you choose to attend services in-person, only outdoor services are allowed while wearing face coverings and maintaining physical distancinge of at least six feet from people that do not live in your household,” the statement added.

Sharing of communal or self-serve food with people living outside a household is not advised, officials added.

Pasadena Public Health Department Director Dr. Ying-Ying Goh said officials have been encouraged by recent signs that community transmission is decreasing. But caution is still needed.

“Because we have seen current and past community transmission has been largely driven by people gathering with people who do not live in their households, we must avoid gathering in order to keep a downward trend in COVID-19 cases,” Goh said. “We wish you a healthy and safe celebration during this holy time of year.”

The Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur begins Sept. 27.

Los Angeles County public health officials announced 1,160 new infections and 38 additional deaths on Thursday. A total of 257,271 COVID-10 cases and 6,324 deaths had been recorded in all.

Officials said 780 COVID-19 patients were hospitalized county-wide, with 31% of them in intensive care units.

“The number of daily hospitalizations has returned to levels seen early in the pandemic,” the L.A. County Department of Public Health said in a written statement.

With flu season rapidly approaching, county health officials joined their counterparts in Pasadena and at the state level in urging people to get a seasonal influenza vaccine.

“Because it is highly likely that both flu and COVID-19 will be present in L.A. County this year, Public Health advises residents to protect themselves from the flu by getting the flu immunization,” according to the statement.

At the state level, officials reported 3,238 new detected infections and 106 deaths. California has seen 766,201 total infections and 14,721 deaths since the start of the pandemic in March.

The state’s average positivity rate over the previous seven days had declined to 3.4%, while the 14-day rate reached 3.5%.

As of Thursday, Los Angeles County represented 34% of California’s COVID-19 infections and 43% of the state’s total fatalities.