Record Number of New COVID-19 Cases in Pasadena Pushes City Past 5,000 Total Infections

Pasadena reported its largest-yet number of new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday at 135, raising total infections documented in the city above 5,000, although some of the new cases were believed to be backlogged reports from the prior two days,officials said.

With no new deaths reported, the city had seen a total of 5,070 cases of the virus and 139 fatalities, according to city data.

With Huntington Hospital’s intensive care units nearly filled to capacity with COVID-19 patients, hospital spokeswoman Dorey Huston urged the community to be vigilant.

“We are depending on our community to help us stop this surge. Your actions today can save lives in the coming weeks,” she said. “Holidays are confirmed to be ‘super-spreader’ events. We need your help. Wear a mask and physical distance as you leave your home for essential work and activities only. And during the upcoming holidays, it’s absolutely vital that you refrain from gathering with anyone outside of your immediate household.”

The hospital treated 131 COVID-19 patients on Wednesday, and 27 of the facilities 30 available ICU beds were occupied by coronavirus patients, according to hospital data.

The available ICU capacity for the 11-county Southern California region encompassing Los Angeles County had dropped to 0.5%, according to state health officials.

L.A. County Director of Public Health Barbara Ferrer somberly announced 138 new deaths on Wednesday, bringing the county total to 8,568 fatalities.

“This is the highest number we’ve ever reported since the pandemic began,” she said.

Ferrer also reported 22,422 new infections throughout the county. While about 7,000 of the cases were attributed to backlogged data, she said, “They are nonetheless extraordinary numbers and they represent transmission that continues to be out of control.”

The county’s previous single-day record of new cases of 13,815 was reported Friday.

In total, the L.A. County Department of Public Health had recorded 566,005 COVID-19 infections.

“Every hour, on average, two people are dying of COVID-19 in LA County. These are our neighbors, friends, and family members,” the agency said in a written statement. Our actions today can prevent more suffering. Cancel your holiday plans. Protect each other.

In another record, 4,656 patients were hospitalized with the virus county-wide on Wednesday, with 21% of them in intensive care units and 15% being treated on ventilators, according to Ferrer.

State officials announced 53,711 new infections and 293 additional fatalities on Wednesday, setting new records in both categories by far..

In all, California had documented 1,671,081 cases of COVID-19 and 21,481 deaths, according to the California Department of Public Health.

California’s average positivity rate over the prior two weeks had climbed to 11%.

As of Wednesday, L.A. County accounted for 32% of California’s total COVID-19 infections and 38% of the state’s deaths.

See also:

COVID-19 Patients Now Fill 90% of Huntington Hospital’s ICU Beds