Pittsburgh-Allegheny County Reports 300 New COVID-19 Cases, 8 Deaths

Pittsburgh PA

03 February, 2021

11:53 AM

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By PublicSource reporters, Public Source 2021-02-02 The Allegheny County Health Department reported 300 new COVID-19 cases and eight new deaths Tuesday. The new cases — from positive tests dated Dec. 13 to Feb. 1 — come from individuals 3 years old to 97 years old, with a median age of 41. The new cases — from positive tests dated Dec. 13 to Feb. 1 — come from individuals 3 years old to 97 years old, with a median age of 41. Among the newly reported deaths, dated Dec. 29 to Jan. 31, one person was in their 20s, one person was in their 50s, two people were in their 60s, two people were in their 80s, and two people were in their 90s. Three deaths were associated with long-term care facilities. To date, the Allegheny County Health Department has reported 69,837 cases, 1,462 deaths from the virus and 4,412 past and present hospitalizations. The Pennsylvania Department of Health confirmed 4,410 new COVID-19 cases and 125 new deaths Tuesday, bringing the totals since the start of the pandemic to 850,488 cases and 21,812 deaths. Nursing and personal care home residents and employees represent about 8.9% of the state's cases and about 52% of the state's deaths. Healthcare workers represent about 2.7% of the state's cases. Through Feb. 1, there have been 1,024,615 vaccine doses administered in Pennsylvania.There are 321,021 people who have received one dose of the vaccine and 201,797 people who have received both doses of the vaccine. Pennsylvania's Early Warning Monitoring System dashboard update shows a seven-day case increase of 25,985 for the week of Jan. 22 to Jan. 28, indicating 5,823 fewer cases than the last seven days. Statewide percent positivity is now 9.3%. Each county in the state has a percent positivity above 5%, with one county having a percent positivity over 20%. The dashboard also indicates that there are 63 counties in the substantial level of transmission category, three counties in the moderate level of transmission and one county in the low level of transmission. Allegheny County falls is considered to have a substantial level of transmission. Contact tracing data shows that out of the 34,545 cases reported from Jan. 17 to Jan. 23, only 3,463 residents provided answers as to whether or not they had spent time at a business. Of that number, 352 people answered yes when asked if they'd visited a business and 252 answered yes when asked if they'd attended a mass gathering 14 days prior to the onset of their symptoms. Allegheny County officials acknowledged the frustrating experiences of those attempting to make vaccination appointments following the expansion of eligibility for the COVID-19 vaccine in Pennsylvania and asked for patience. "I know there is a lot of frustration out there," ACHD Director Dr. Debra Bogen said during a press briefing Wednesday. "Our clinics are filling up fast, the registration system from the state is confusing, and sometimes it doesn't work. You're wondering when you can get a vaccine and how you'll get a vaccine. I really do hear you. We all hear you. We are frustrated here, too." After the state expanded the first vaccination phase to include people 65 and older, demand increased. The most recent online sign-up for vaccines at ACHD's Monroeville clinic filled up in less than 30 minutes, Bogen said. ACHD has been reviewing these appointments and canceling any for individuals who do not meet the current eligibility requirements. Checking appointments and canceling for those who are ineligible "is very time-consuming," Bogen said. "This delays our ability to vaccinate those who truly need it, and this really needs to stop." Bogen said the biggest hurdles are a lack of vaccine supply and the inability to predict how many doses are coming more than a week ahead of time. The state can't tell the county more than a week in advance how many new doses are coming because the federal government doesn't tell the state, Bogen said. She said she hopes this changes soon. Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said the approach so far from President Joe Biden's administration concerning the vaccine rollout has been encouraging. He called attention to the administration's attempts to ramp up supply and Biden's goal of vaccinating 300 million Americans by the end of the summer. "The president and his team have just focused on this and really made this a priority, meeting with the manufacturers, putting plans together to do distribution," Fitzgerald said. "Obviously, they inherited something with a lot of challenges, as we all know, and it looks to me like it's going to improve." Gov. Tom Wolf, during a press conference on Jan. 26, said that the state needs 8 million more vaccines from the federal government to ensure that all residents under the expanded 1A phase can receive a vaccine. Currently, under the expanded 1A phase, which now includes residents 65 and older, pregnant women and the immunocompromised, there are about 4 million residents in need of a vaccine. "It is incredibly disappointing that the national vaccine supply is extremely limited because states rely on the federal government to get the vaccine," Wolf said. "My administration is fighting to make sure Pennsylvania gets our fair share of doses. Our goal remains to ensure every Pennsylvanian who wants a vaccine can get one." Wolf said that the vaccine eligibility requirements in Pennsylvania had been expanded under the direction of the Trump administration after states were reassured that the federal government would be able to secure and then send more vaccine doses to meet the increased demand. However, as states expanded their eligibility, the federal government did not have a stockpile of vaccines ready and are still negotiating with the pharmaceutical companies for more doses. The Biden administration on Tuesday revealed its plan of boosting the distribution of vaccines to the states, promising a minimum of 10 million vaccines per week, an increase of 1.4 million from the previous level of distribution. The Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry announced that payments for the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program in the new federal CARES Act extension are resuming. Department Acting Secretary Jennifer Berrier said the department is aware of the many Pennsylvanians who are dependent on these benefits and they are working quickly to process these payments. "We know that more than 400,000 Pennsylvanians and their families are relying on these Pandemic Unemployment Assistance benefits to get through this terrible pandemic and have worked as quickly as possible to complete the implementation and resume payments," Berrier said. Some extensions to the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program have included benefits to workers who lost their job during COVID-19 and are not typically eligible for unemployment compensation programs. These included gig workers, freelancers and self-employed workers. Pennsylvania residents can begin filing for the additional 11 claim weeks immediately. Residents must file these claims by Jan. 29 and are able to file claims for the weeks of Jan. 2, Jan. 9, Jan. 16, and Jan. 23. People who have questions about their enrollment in the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program should email [email protected]. This article was reported by Annie Siebert, Lauren Davidson, Matt Petras, Punya Bhasin, Danielle Cruz and Dannys Marrero. This article was produced by PublicSource.org, a nonprofit news organization serving the Pittsburgh region. PublicSource tells stories for a better Pittsburgh. Sign up for their free email newsletters at publicsource.org/newsletters.