Pasadena’s Weekly COVID-19 Infection Rate Reaches Lowest Level in 11 Weeks

New COVID-19 infections in Pasadena continued trending down on Monday, as officials reported 35 new additional cases of the virus, along with three fatalities.

The average number of daily cases detected in the city declined to 35.3, Pasadena spokeswoman Lisa Derderian said.

It was the lowest weekly average recorded in Pasadena since Nov. 21, according to city data.

But three new deaths were attributed to the virus on Monday, Derderian said. One of the victims lived in a care facility, while the other two were members of the larger community.

No problems were reported with respect to problems with large gatherings during Sunday’s Super Bowl game, she said.

“Fortunately, no complaints or visible violations throughout the city were attributed to the Super Bowl,” according to Derderian. “The case numbers in the next few weeks will show if people gathered.”

Huntington Hospital reported treating 129 COVID-19 patients on Monday, with 26 being housed in intensive care units.

Los Angeles County was also continuing to see a drop in case numbers, with 2,741 new infections reported Monday, although early week figures tend to be artificially low due to weekend reporting lags. Those new infections lifted the countywide case numbers since the pandemic began nearly a year ago to 1,149,064.

L.A. County Director of Public Health Barbara Ferrer said the county has also confirmed a fifth case of the coronavirus variant first detected in the United Kingdom. That variant is not considered more dangerous or deadly, but it is transmitted much more easily.

Health officials also reported 93 additional deaths due to COVID-19, raising the overall death toll to 18,135.

According to state figures, there were 4,079 people hospitalized in the county due to COVID-19 as of Monday, roughly half the number of people seen in early January at the height of the winter surge. There were 1,193 patients in intensive care units due to the virus.

Dr. Christina Ghaly, director of the county Department of Health Services, noted the “slow but steady” decline in hospital populations and said hospitals are no longer diverting ambulances at the excessive levels they were a month ago. Hospitals are also beginning to resume the scheduling of surgical procedures that had to be put on hold under a state order that was finally lifted last week.

But Ghaly warned that some hospitals are still feeling the impacts of the surge, and while ICU space is improving, some medical centers are still overwhelmed with ICU patients, who require more attention and more specialized care.

She urged anyone who thinks they need medical care to seek it.

“We don’t want people to delay medical care if needed,’” she said.

At the state level, officials reported 10,414 new infections and 208 additional fatalities on Monday, bringing California’s totals to 3,346,340 cases of the virus and 44,140 deaths.

The statewide average positivity rate over the prior week had declined to 5%, while the 14-day rate was recorded at 5.8%.

As of Monday, L.A. County represented 34% of California’s COVID-19 infections and 41% of the state’s fatalities.