A Pasadena resident has tested positive for the new coronavirus, marking the city’s first confirmed case of the disease known as COVID-19, according to city officials on Wednesday afternoon.

“This individual was known to have close contact with a confirmed case outside of Pasadena and has been in quarantine since the exposure occurred,” a Wednesday news release says. “This individual is recovering and is being followed by (the Pasadena Public Health Department).”

The city runs its own health department, separate from the county’s. Officials said they were following up directly with those who may have had close contact with the patient.

As more tests become available, city officials say more local cases may emerge.

Officials also confirmed on Wednesday a Caltech student tested for the disease does not have it.

Pasadena’s patient was among the seven new cases announced Wednesday across Los Angeles County, bringing the total to 29.

One of the county’s new cases was a result of community spread, county Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said in a midday news conference, marking the second patient for whom investigators cannot identify how or where the disease was contracted.

Ferrer also announced the county’s first death from the virus — a woman who was at least 60 years old with an underlying medical condition who had recently traveled internationally, including a long layover in South Korea.

The news came on the heels of the World Health Organization’s move to declare the global coronavirus a pandemic, meaning it had spread worldwide to multiple continents.

Earlier this week, Pasadena health officials said testing would increase in the coming days and suggested members of the public reach out to their private physicians if they believe they’ve come in contact with the disease.

If a private physicians does not have access to one of the commercial labs with testing capabilities, health officials asked doctors to reach out to the Pasadena Health Department to help facilitate the testing process.

Although Pasadena declared a public health emergency last week, the school district is considering declaring its own state of emergency during Thursday’s board meeting. In a statement released Wednesday, the district said it would be a “proactive and precautionary measure to allow PUSD quicker access to resources, provide greater flexibility in preparing and responding, and ease coordination with other agencies.”

Currently, the Pasadena Public Health Department does not recommend closing schools, it says.

On Tuesday, Pasadena Unified and local colleges announced large-scale events would be postponed or canceled until April. Classes will continue, but many may shift online, they said.

Pasadena’s ArtWalk was also canceled on Tuesday.

On Monday, Pasadena Health Director Ying-Ying Goh told the City Council at least 50 people in the area were quarantined.

Last week, Goh declared a public health emergency in a bid to free up state and county resources which may be needed if Pasadena’s systems become overwhelmed with patients.

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