Pasadena Sees Another COVID-19 Death As Local infections Exceed 12,000 Since Start of Pandemic

Pasadena’s COVID-19 death toll grew Wednesday as public health officials announced one new fatality, along with 39 new cases of the virus.

The latest death was that of a woman in her 50s and took place in mid-July, city spokeswoman Lisa Derderian said. It was formally added to public health records as a COVID-19 fatality on Wednesday.

The victim was not vaccinated and was believed to have been exposed to the virus by unvaccinated family members, she said.

In total, 353 deaths have been attributed to COVID-19 in Pasadena, according to city data.

Thirty-nine new infections reported Wednesday raised the pandemic total to 12,004.

An average of 31.3 new cases of the virus were reported each day in Pasadena over the past week, Pasadena Public Health Department data shows.

Huntington Hospital reported treating 16 COVID-19 patients as of Wednesday, with two of them being treated in an intensive care unit.

Los Angeles County public health officials reported 3,374 new infections and 16 deaths on Wednesday, which brought the county-wide totals to 1,311,656  COVID-19 cases and 24,720 fatalities.

“Sadly, Public Health has confirmed one of today’s reported COVID-19 deaths is a young person under the age of 12,” the L.A. County Department of Public Health said in a written statement. “The child who passed away was hospitalized with COVID-19 and had underlying conditions.”

L.A. County Director of Public Health Barbara Ferrer said protecting those who cannot be vaccinated, including children, “should be everyone’s top priority.”

“With high levels of transmission in the community and more people needing care from our healthcare providers, increasing vaccination rates among those eligible to get vaccinated is the best way to protect children under the age of 12,” she said.

Officials reported 1,242 patients being treated at hospitals in L.A. County on Wednesday, with 22% of them being housed in ICUs.

L.A. County’s test positivity rate on Friday was measured at 6%.

“The vaccines continue to be our most powerful tool against COVID-19. We are finding that unvaccinated and partially vaccinated people are nearly four times more likely to get infected than fully vaccinated individuals,” according to Ferrer.

“I encourage everyone to get fully vaccinated if you are eligible, wear a mask in indoor public settings, move social activities outdoors as much as possible, and wash your hands or use hand sanitizer frequently.”

The California Department of Public Health announced 8,552 new COVID-19 cases and 54 deaths on Wednesday, raising the state totals to 3,889,641 infections and 64,150 fatalities.

The state’s average weekly positivity rate climbed to 7%, according to CDPH data.

As of Wednesday, L.A. County represented 34% of California’s COVID-19 infections and 39% of the state’s deaths.