COVID-19 Delta Variant Arrives In Pasadena

PASADENA, CA — At least six Pasadena residents were among the first in the city to contract the highly transmissible delta variant of COVID-19, city health officials announced Wednesday.

The individuals were from households in which a mix of vaccinated and unvaccinated people lived, city spokeswoman Lisa Derderian said.

News of the delta variant’s arrival followed renewed calls by public health officials for the city’s unvaccinated population to get COVID-19 shots. A 65-year-old unvaccinated man died July 8 from the virus, marking the city's first COVID-19 death since April.

“Now is the time for anyone who is not yet vaccinated to get fully vaccinated. Help connect friends and family who are not yet vaccinated to a vaccine opportunity as soon as possible,” Pasadena Public Health Department Director Ying-Ying Goh said in a statement. “Current vaccines are effective in protecting against the Delta variant that spreads much more easily than prior variants and is more likely to cause serious disease.”

The delta variant is now the dominant coronavirus strain in Los Angeles County, according to health officials. The variant spreads more easily than other strains of the virus and causes more severe symptoms to develop.

It's believed to be behind a recent spike in cases around the area. More than 99 percent of people in the county who have been hospitalized or died in the last month because of COVID-19 were unvaccinated, health officials said.

Health officials across the country have tried to persuade unvaccinated people with giveaways in exchange for a shot. Adults 21 and older are being offered a free marijuana joint in Long Beach if they get a jab. In Los Angeles County, officials offered season tickets to the L.A. Kings and $75 Target gift cards.

Pasadena residents who get their COVID-19 vaccinations at a city-run clinic will receive a $20 gift card in return, Derderian said.