Pasadena Sees Fewest COVID-19 Cases in Over a Week at 52, 1 New Death

Pasadena on Tuesday reported the fewest number of new COVID-19 infections in more than a week with 52, following a record-setting weekend that saw well over 300 new cases of the virus.

One new death was also reported Tuesday, according to city spokeswoman Lisa Derderian. The victim, described as a woman in her late 70s living at a senior care facility, succumbed to the virus on Friday.

On the heels of an unprecedented surge in COVID-19 infections that brought record numbers of cases to the city, county and state in recent days, Derderian said Tuesday’s continued downward trend, which continued from Monday, was a positive sign.

“This is the lowest case count we have received since Dec. 1 and well below the current seven-day average of 80.9 cases per day,” Derderian said. “We will see if this continues to decline but don’t want it to give a false sense of security.”

The aftermath of the recent days of surge was still evident at Huntington Hospital, where officials reported treating a record 86 COVID-19 patients on Tuesday, topping the previous record of 82 patients set on Monday. Fifteen of the patients were being treated in intensive care units.

Pasadena Public Health Department officials reported the highest-ever tally of new infections in a single day on Sunday with 120 detected cases of the novel coronavirus. Officials reported 109 cases on Saturday and 92 on Sunday.

Monday saw a break in the upward trend with 80 cases reported.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health announced 64 new deaths, pushing the county beyond a “tragic milestone” with 8,003.

County health officials reported 8,537 new detected cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, raising the overall count to 466,321.

“The five-day average for daily new cases reported with COVID-19 is 8,993, nearly double than the five-day average for daily new cases we saw on the day after Thanksgiving, which was 4,751, and triggered the Temporary Stay at Home Health Officer Order,” the L.A. County Department of Public Health said in a written statement. “This is more new cases reported each day for COVID-19 than at any point during the pandemic.”

In another alarming record, more people were hospitalized with COVID-19 than ever before at 3,113 patients, according to county public health officials. Twenty-four percent of them were being treated in ICUs.

“The county’s number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 is increasing at a dangerous pace, and today’s number marks the first time in the pandemic we have reported more than 3,000 people currently hospitalized for COVID-19,” the county statement said.

The county’s overall positivity rate was also at an all-time high of 11 percent.

L.A. County Director of Public Health Barbara Ferrer urged patience.

“I know we all want this to be over, but the only way we can truly move on forward in our recovery journey is if we all follow the basic Public Health safety measures. Right now, too many people in our community are infected with COVID-19 and it is irresponsible and dangerous for people or businesses to flaunt the essential measures that protect everyone from transmitting or acquiring the virus,” she said.

“The way out of this may seem difficult, but the steps are simple, and those who disregard these safety measures are only delaying our recovery journey,” Ferrer continued. “For businesses that remain open, please follow all our safety protocols that protect your employees and customers. And for all of us that call L.A. County our home, please stay home as much as possible, and if you do go outside, always wear a face covering and distance from others.”

California Department of Public Health officials reported 23,272 new infections and 112 additional fatalities on Tuesday, raising the state’s overall counts to 1.39 million cases of COVID-19 and 20,047 deaths

The state’s average positivity rate over the prior two weeks had climbed to an all-time high of 8.7 percent, according to the CDPH.

As of Tuesday, L.A. County accounted for 34 percent of California’s total COVID-19 infections and 40 percent of the state’s fatalities.