Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, April 30, 2022

Mountain Views-News Saturday, April 30, 2022 


COVID 19 Cases 

WHERE WE ARE APRIL 30, 2022 VERSUS MARCH 26, 2022 

Cases This Week ( 04/30/22) Deaths This Week (03/26/22) 
LA County 2,872,203 (2,867,159) 31,959 (31,443) 
LA COUNTY VACCINATIONS AS OF 04/30/2022 (Fully)

Adults 12+ 88.1% Seniors 99.1% 
(Last Week) Cases Deaths Fully 
Vaccinated 
Arcadia 8,256 (7,914) 166 (164) 90.5% 
Altadena 8469 (8257) 99 (95) 82.7% 
Bradbury 66 ( 65) 0 ( 0) 71.6% 
Duarte 5,211 (5,129) 120 (119) 84.0% 
Monrovia 8,349 (8,179 104 (101) 81.0% 
Pasadena 28,723 (27,943) 414 (408) 85.4% 
Sierra Madre 1,559 (1504) 22 ( 20) 89.2% 
So.Pasadena 4,132 (3942) 61 ( 60) 94.3% 


SMOG SEASON IS HERE - THERE ARE 
SEVERAL WAYS TO CHECK AIR QUALITY 

DIAMOND BAR – May marks the start of ozone season in Greater Los Angeles. During this 
time of year, hot, stagnant days with strong sunlight can increase the formation of ground-level 
ozone, commonly referred to as ‘smog’, creating poten-tially unhealthy air quality throughout 
the region. 

It is common to reach unhealthy ozone levels in the afternoon hours throughout the region, 
especially in inland areas. South Coast AQMD reminds residents to stay informed of air quality 
levels in their area and adjust their outdoor activities accord-ingly. 

There are several ways to access air quality information:

• Download South Coast AQMD’s award-winning mobile app to view local air quality in 
real time, receive notifications when air quality is poor in your neighborhood, and view hourly 
air quality forecasts. The free mobile app is available in English and Spanish on Apple and Android 
devices: www.aqmd.gov/mobileapp
• Visit www.aqmd.gov/aqimap to view real-time air quality and www.aqmd.gov/forecast 
for hourly air quality fore-casts.
• Check www.aqmd.gov/advisory for current air quality advisories during extreme air 
quality events such as wildfires or dust storms. Sign up to receive advisories via email at www.
airalerts.org.
• Follow South Coast AQMD’s social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 
Residents can also do their part to help reduce emissions that contribute to ozone formation by:

• Limiting the use of gasoline powered lawn and garden equipment until evening hours 
• Conserving electricity and setting your air conditioner at a higher temperature 
• Trying to delay trips to the gas station 
• Avoid using household chemicals until the evening 
Ozone pollution can cause or worsen respiratory problems, including asthma, lung inflammation 
and bronchitis. Young chil-dren, older adults and people with chronic respiratory conditions 
may be more sensitive to the health effects of ozone. 

What to do during periods of unhealthy air quality: 

Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (101 to 150). The following groups should limit prolonged 
or heavy outdoor exertion: People with heart disease, pregnant women, children and 
older adults, people with lung diseases, such as asthma.

Unhealthy (151 to 200). Everyone may begin to experience some adverse health effects 

(e.g. diffi-culty breathing and throat irritation), and members of sensitive groups may experience 
more se-rious effects. People with heart disease, pregnant women, children and older 
adults, people with lung diseases, and asthma.
Very Unhealthy (201 to 300). This would generate a health alert suggesting that everyone 
may ex-perience more serious health effects. The following groups should avoid all outdoor 
physical activi-ty: People with heart disease, pregnant women, children and older adults, people 
with lung disea-ses, such as asthma. Everyone should else should avoid prolonged or heavy outdoor 
activity.

“Hazardous” (greater than 300). This would trigger a health warning of emergency conditions. 
The entire population is more likely to be affected. Everyone should avoid all physical 
activity outdoors. 

Smog season officially ends on September 30, although high ozone levels may continue well into 
the fall, and other air pollu-tants can lead to unhealthy air quality during the rest of the year 

South Coast AQMD is the regulatory agency responsible for improving air quality for large areas 
of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, including the Coachella Valley. 
For news, air quality alerts, event updates and more, please visit us at www.aqmd.gov, download 
our award-winning app, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 

LA COUNTY HEALTH UPDATE: 

Early Alert Signals Remind Us of the Need for Caution2,550 New Positive Cases and 4 New Deaths Due to COVID-19 
in Los Angeles County 

With Los Angeles County experiencing a high rate of transmission and cases steadily rising, 
Public Health encourages residents to use caution to avoid getting infected with COVID and 
transmitting it to others. 

Public Health continues to monitor community-wide and sector-specific indicators for early 
alerts that transmission and risk may be increasing. This week, although all of the County’s 
Early Alert Signals are of Low Concern except for the percentage of specimens sequenced 
that are identified as a new variant or subvariant of concern, many metrics are trending in the 
wrong direction. 

The highly contagious Omicron BA.2 subvariant is now identified in 88% of recent LA County 
samples – a slight increase from the prior week. Nationally, the BA.2 subvariant is the predominant 
lineage, although there is increasing circulation of a newly identified sub-lineage 
strain: BA.2.12.1. For the week ending April 2, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
estimates that BA.2 accounted for 68% of sequenced specimens in the U.S., with BA.2.12.1 
accounting for approximately 29% of sequenced samples for that week. The BA.2.12.1 sub-
lineage is also estimated to be 20-30% more transmissible than BA.2, and it could quickly 
become the nation’s dominant strain. 

In Los Angeles County, 7% of sequenced specimens were identified as BA.2.12.1 for the week 
ending April 9, up from 3% for the prior seven-day period. The California Department of 
Public Health, through modeling estimates, anticipates that BA.2.12.1 will account for 50% of 
positive cases in California within a few days. 

Increasing concentrations of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in wastewater across LA County indicate 
rising community transmission. Public Health is monitoring wastewater concentration for 
four sewer systems across the County. At three sewer systems: the Los Angeles County Sanitation 
Districts, Joint Water Pollution Control Plant; the Los Angeles City Sanitation and Environment 
Agency; and the Los Angeles County Sanitation District’s Lancaster sewer system, 
there’s been a steady rise in average wastewater SARS-CoV-2 concentration. Las Virgenes 
Municipal Water Districts, whose wastewater surveillance covers part of the West Valley near 
the Ventura County border, has not recently seen a steady increase. 

Outbreaks in congregate living situations, such as Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs) and 
among People Experiencing Homelessness, can signal that action is needed to protect staff 
and residents, many of whom may be particularly vulnerable to severe COVID-19 illness. 
While not yet a cause for significant concern , outbreaks at SNFs and sites serving People 
Experiencing Homelessness, have recently started to rise. For the latest seven-day reporting 
period ending April 26, there were six new outbreaks opened in Skilled Nursing Facilities, 
and 10 new outbreaks at sites serving People Experiencing Homelessness, nine of which are 
in sheltered environments. 

This week, Public Health has seen a doubling of reports from worksites with clusters of cases 
when compared to the prior week. Among the 82 cluster reports received between April 20 
and April 26, the top three sectors represented were Manufacturing, Retail Trade, and Information, 
which together accounted for 55% of total cluster reports. Among subsectors, the top 
four industries were Food and Beverage Stores, Electronics and Appliance Stores, Transportation 
Equipment Manufacturing, and Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries. 

TK-12 schools are also experiencing small increases in outbreaks. For the seven-day period 
ending April 19, there were six new classroom outbreaks opened, all in elementary schools. 
This is double the number opened the prior week and is nearing the threshold for increased 
concern, which is eight new classroom-based outbreaks opened in the past seven days. 

“I send my deepest sympathies and wishes of peace and comfort to the many families who 
have lost a loved one from COVID-19,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of 
Public Health. “During this period of high transmission and the potential for more infectious 
variants, one of the best and easiest safety measures is to wear a well-fitting, high filtration 
mask or respirator when indoors around others. This is especially true if someone is at higher 
risk for severe illness, or they live or they work with someone who is at elevated risk. The fact 
is that when people wear a well-fitting mask or respirator, they protect themselves and those 
around them. Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have all had to make choices about 
how to best protect ourselves and others from COVID-19. With cases on the rise, the potential 
for more contagious variants, and lots of opportunities to be exposed, this is a great time 
to make a choice to get vaccinated or boosted and to wear a mask or respirator when indoors 
around others.” 

Today, Public Health reported 4 additional deaths and 2,550 new positive cases of COVID-19. 
Of the 4 new deaths reported today, three were between the ages of 65-79, and one person 
was over the aged 80 years or older. Of the 4 newly reported deaths, all had underlying health 
conditions. To date, the total number of deaths in L.A. County is 31,959. 

Public Health has reported a total of 2,872,203 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of 

L.A. County. Today’s positivity rate is 1.8%. 
There are 253 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized. Testing results are available for 
more than 11,847,700 individuals, with 22% of people testing positive. 

A wide range of data and dashboards on COVID-19 from the Los Angeles County Department 
of Public Health are available on the Public Health website at http://www.publichealth.
lacounty.gov 

STAY SAFE! GET VACCINATED! 

WEAR A MASK! 

Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 
Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com