Local Vaccination Rate Climbs, 94.8% of Eligible Pasadenans Have Received at Least 1 COVID-19 Vaccine Dose

The rate of full vaccination among those over the minimum eligible age of 12 in Pasadena reached 87.7% as of Tuesday, with 94.8% of residents having received at least one dose, officials said.

Nineteen new infections were detected, which raised the city’s pandemic total to 13,100 cases of COVID-19.

The number of dead remained at 359, according to Pasadena Public Health Department records. The most recent fatality in the city was reported on Sept. 15.

An average of 16.4 new infections were documented in the city each day over the prior week.

The Pasadena Unified School District reported seven new infections among students and none among staff since Sept. 15.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health announced 1,238 new infections and 38 deaths on Friday, raising the county-wide totals to 1,446,348 cases of the virus and 25,870 fatalities.

The number of patients being treated for COVID-19 at county hospitals was listed at 1,034,     according to county data.

Tuesday’s county-wide test positivity rate was measured at 1.4%, officials said.

County officials reminded the public that under new state guidelines now in effect, proof of vaccination or a recent negative COVID-19 test will be required for attendance at an indoor event with more than 1,000 people present. “Self-attestation” will no longer be accepted.

This summer’s surge in cases is being driven by both the extra-contagious Delta variant of the virus, as well as “the universal intermingling of unmasked individuals where vaccination and testing status were unknown,” L.A.County Director of Public Health Barbara Ferrer said.

“Safety measures at places where large crowds gather with many opportunities for intermingling such as universal masking and negative test or vaccination status verification requirements are sensible measures that lower the risk for transmission of the virus at higher risk settings,” she said. “Our hope is that with full implementation of these mandates, we create conditions that don’t favor a continual cycle of surges fueled by new variants of concern.”

At the state level, authorities reported 6,032 new cases of COVID-19 and 16 deaths in Tuesday’s update, bringing the state’s totals to 4,428,117 infections and 67,032 fatalities.

The state’s weekly positivity rate dipped slightly to 2.9%, California Department of Public Health records show.

As of Tuesday, L.A. County accounted for 33% of California COVID-19 infections and 39% of the state’s deaths.