Allegheny County COVID-19 Transmission Spread 'Substantial': CDC

Pittsburgh PA

03 August, 2021

3:25 PM

Description

ALLEGHENY COUNTY, PA — Escalating case numbers have pushed Allegheny County into the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's "substantial" coronavirus community transmission spread category. The CDC's recommendation is that those in in counties with substantial or high spread numbers should wear masks indoors, even if they are fully vaccinated. The southwestern Pennsylvania counties of Beaver, Butler, Washington, Armstrong and Indiana also had substantial spread during the period of July 26-Aug. 1. Statistics for that period were listed on the CDC's website Tuesday. The substantial label comes despite Allegheny County having more adults inoculated with at least one dose of the vaccine than the national average. The county has 78.3 percent; nationally, it's 70 percent. The CDC and other health officials have said the best way to guard against contracting the virus is to be fully vaccinated. Allegheny County has 63.5 percent of adults fully vaccinated. Allegheny is one of 25 of the state's 67 counties reporting substantial or high virus spread as of Tuesday, according to CDC statistics. The state Department of Health announced 1,442 new cases on Tuesday. According to state data, the last time numbers were that high was May 13. There have not been more than one thousand cases recorded in a single day since May 28. Additional reporting: Justin Heinze/Patch. Be the first to know what's happening in your community and region. With a free Patch subscription, you'll always be up to date on local and state news: https://patch.com/subscribe.