Pasadena’s COVID-19 Infection Rate Hits Lowest Point in More Than a Year

The average daily COVID-19 infection rate in Pasadena on Monday declined to its lowest point since March of 2020, according to city data.

Three new infections and zero deaths were reported. Since the onset of the pandemic, 11,197 cases have been reported in the city, along with 340 deaths.

Following 25 days with infection numbers remaining confined to single digits, Pasadena’s average number of daily infections over the prior week dropped to 2.4, representing the lowest rate recorded since March 29, 2020.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health reported 337 new infections and 18 additional deaths on Monday, raising the county’s pandemic totals to 1,229,311 known cases of the virus and 23,641 fatalities.

L.A. County Director of Public Health Barbara Ferrer said 470 patients were being treated for COVID-19 at county hospitals, compared with roughly 15,000 at the height of the surge late last year.

“We can all feel confident that our progress in slowing transmission is not an illusion,” she said. “However, if we hope to sustain this remarkable progress, we need to be realistic about the risks that come with our return to the places and activities that were such a big part of our lives before the pandemic. We need to be careful to take sensible precautions in the weeks ahead while we vaccinate more people.”

Ferrer pointed to recent spikes in other states as evidence of the continued threat presented by the virus.

More than six million vaccine doses have been administered in L.A. County, with about four million being the first doses of two-dose regimens, and more than two million residents fully vaccinated, according to Ferrer.

Now that all county residents over 16 years old are eligible to be vaccinated against COVID-19, Ferrer urged them to take advantage.

“If you’re a young and healthy person who has been waiting for your time to get the vaccine, that time is now,” she said.

State public health officials reported 1,916 new infections and four fatalities, which was significantly lower than the number of deaths reported in L.A. County alone.

In total, the state has seen 3,618,695 COVID-19 cases and 59,772 deaths, according to California Department of Public Health data.

California’s average positivity rate over the prior week was recorded at 1.4%.

As of Monday, L.A. County represented 34% of California’s COVID-19 infections and 40% of the state’s fatalities.