Half of Pasadena Residents Infected with COVID-19 Have Recovered

According to the city’s Public Health Director Ying Ying Goh about half of the Pasadenans that have been infected with COVID-19 have recovered.

However, Dr. Goh cautioned recovery is subjective.

“They are cleared when they meet the CDC [Centers for Disease Control] criteria of 7 days after symptom onset or 72 hours after fever resolution and symptom improvement, whichever is longer. This is a subjective, not objective, criteria and makes the ‘recovery’ number less relevant.”

That recovery number also could fluctuate based on people who were never sick enough to be tested.

The virus causes fatalities. Local residents should continue to follow the Safer at Home order and practice social distancing when shopping.

A second strategy for recovery criteria on the CDC website calls for the previous conditions referenced by Dr. Goh and negative results of an FDA Emergency Use Authorized molecular assay for COVID-19 from at least two consecutive nasopharyngeal swab specimens collected.

But the shortage of tests makes it harder for health departments to follow that strategy.

As of Tuesday morning, 72 local residents have tested positive for the virus and two people living in Pasadena have died due to complications caused by the infection, or 2.78 percent.

The state is currently preparing for a surge in cases. Gov. Gavin Newsom said he expects the state’s peak to occur next month.

On Monday the Pasadena City Council voted to use the Convention Center as an alternate care facility.

One hundred people will be tested at the Rose Bowl on Wednesday based on qualifications that make them high risk for infection.

On Monday, Los Angeles County Public Health Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer urged people to stay home this week.

“If you have enough supplies in your home, this would be the week to skip shopping altogether,” said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, director of the county Department of Public Health. “If you can arrange for pharmacies and medications and groceries to be delivered, this would be the week to put that in place.”

Ferrer particularly stressed the need for people aged 65 or older and people with underlying health conditions to remain at home. She noted that 83 percent of the people who have died from the virus in LA County had underlying health conditions, and 76 percent of those who died were older than 65.

“It’s very important to us that if you’re elderly or you have an underlying health condition that you stay home, except to go to medical appointments,” Ferrer said. “When you’re out and about, even for essential services, you’re putting yourself at risk for becoming infected with COVID-19 and becoming seriously ill. This is especially true as more and more people in LA County are infected and capable of infecting others.”