Pasadena Sees Record Week With 214 New Coronavirus Infections

Pasadena saw its biggest week yet in terms of new reported COVID-19 infections as the city announced 35 newly confirmed infections on Friday.

That brought the week’s total to 214 cases over seven days since July 18, surpassing the previous record — which occurred just last week — when 183 new infections were reported.

No new COVID-19-related deaths were reported Friday, according to city spokeswoman Lisa Derderian. There were a total of three over the past seven days.

The City’s totals stood at 1,857 infections and 104 fatalities.

“The rise in cases clearly represents the higher burden of disease in the community,” Huntington Hospital infectious disease specialist Dr. Kimberly Shriner said in a statement reported by the Pasadena Star-News. “It is not the result of an increase in testing.”

While data at both the City and County levels shows the virus is increasingly being transmitted among the younger population, the older population and people with already compromised health conditions remain the most likely to die from it.

The three people who lost their lives to the virus this week were a 96-year-old woman, a 70-year-old man and a 30-year-old man who suffered from underlying health conditions, according to Derderian.

“This is the last weekend in July and we need to make a difference by lowering our numbers in August, so please stay within your ‘personal islands’ and wear face coverings because we can all make a difference one by one,” Derderian said.

Fifty-three COVID-19 patients were being treated at Huntington Hospital on Friday, according to hospital data. Another 24 test results were pending.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health announced 1,949 new infections and 44 new deaths on Friday, but added that some test results had been delayed, contributing to a lower-than-accurate figure.

“The number of cases is expected to increase in the coming days once the data becomes available,” the agency said in a written statement.

Officials have recorded 168,757 novel coronavirus cases in the county so far, and 4,300 deaths.

The County health department reported that 1,928 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Friday, with 29 percent of them in intensive-care units and 16 percent being treated with ventilators.

But again, officials cautioned that information was missing from the data.

“The hospitalization data is incomplete due to changes in reporting requirements from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,” according to the county statement. “This resulted in historical data from 11 non-reporting hospitals not being part of today’s update. The State is working hard to remedy both these issues.”

L.A. County Director of Public Health Barbara Ferrer said, “Even with incomplete case and hospitalization data, we are seeing too much community spread of this virus, which means many of our friends, family and neighbors are sick and suffering.”

“As we head into the weekend, I hope we each understand that continuing our recovery journey, including reopening schools and businesses, is only possible if we get back to slowing the spread,” she said. “Wear a face covering, don’t gather with people you don’t live with and stay home as much as possible. The health of our community truly is a collective effort.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced 9,718 new COVID-19 infections statewide, adding that the State’s seven-day daily average had reached 9,881.

California’s average positivity rate during the past week stood at 7.5 percent, Newsom said.

State officials also reported 159 new deaths Friday, bringing the virus’ total death toll in California to 8,186, and total reported cases to 435,334.

As of Friday, Los Angeles County accounted for 39 percent of all the known infections in the state and 53 percent of all the deaths.