PA Details K-12 COVID Testing, Bus Driver Recruitment Amid Shortage

Pittsburgh PA

03 October, 2021

12:25 PM

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By PublicSource, Public Source September 30, 2021 PublicSource has been tracking COVID-19's spread on a daily basis since March 2020. More than a year later, in an effort to direct our resources into enterprise reporting on the pandemic and other important issues, we will cover the Allegheny County Health Department's weekly briefing on Wednesdays and update the numbers on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. We may adjust as the prevalence of the coronavirus ebbs and flows. If you have questions or comments, please email PublicSource's managing editor [email protected]. Nearly 400 schools statewide are participating in the voluntary pooled COVID-19 testing program Gov. Tom Wolf's administration began this school year, Secretary of Education Noe Ortega said at a Thursday press briefing. Nearly 400 schools statewide are participating in the voluntary pooled COVID-19 testing program Gov. Tom Wolf's administration began this school year, Secretary of Education Noe Ortega said at a Thursday press briefing. The program is intended to use testing materials more efficiently: with the permission of the people tested, nasal swab tests are combined and processed as a single test. More than 800 of these tests were performed statewide last week, Ortega said. Ortega said the program, along with distancing guidelines and the statewide mask mandate for K-12 schools, has led to a safe return to in-person learning. "Kids are excited to be back in the classroom, learning and growing alongside their classmates, something that they've been asking for for some time now," Ortega said. "Safety has been paramount." In Allegheny County, pediatric COVID-19 cases began rising in August, particularly since the start of the school year, County Health Director Dr. Deborah Bogen said at a Sept. 22 briefing. Statewide, 21.9% of children ages 12-14 are fully vaccinated and 42.6% of adolescents ages 15-19 are fully vaccinated, Acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam said at Thursday's briefing. Pfizer and BioNTech submitted data showing the safety of their COVID-19 vaccine for children ages five through 11 to the United States Food and Drug Administration. The agency will then decide whether to grant approval. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation is expanding its efforts to recruit bus drivers amid the national shortage, Secretary of Transportation Kurt Myers said at Thursday's briefing. The department will offer weekly Commercial Driver's License testing at 23 of its offices statewide beginning in October. A shortage of bus drivers in Pittsburgh led district officials to delay the start of the school year and curtail the number of students able to ride buses to school. The state currently has a little more than 42,000 school bus drivers, the lowest in the past five years, Myers said. County vaccine mandateAll Allegheny County employees will have until Dec. 1 to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said at a Wednesday press briefing. To satisfy the requirement, employees must provide proof they received either the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine or their second shot of the two-dose Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines by the deadline. "We feel very comfortable that this is going to help protect people, protect our coworkers and each other, and protect the public." Fitzgerald said. The county will provide its vaccinated employees with 10 days of paid leave if they contract COVID-19 or are directed to quarantine, Fitzgerald added. On Aug. 9, the county began requiring all newly hired county employees to provide proof of vaccination against COVID-19. The county also required current employees who had not provided proof of vaccination to participate in regular COVID-19 testing and wear masks when in indoor county facilities. Nearly 74% of Allegheny County residents have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine as of Sept. 29, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. Vaccine providers in Allegheny County have begun administering COVID-19 booster shots of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, Health Department Director Dr. Debra Bogen said at the briefing. "We have had plenty of doses," Bogen said. "It's being offered all over, like I said in my comments, and it seems to be going well. We haven't heard any complaints. We haven't heard of people being overrun with requests." On Sept. 24, the CDC recommended that vaccine providers begin administering additional doses of the Pfizer vaccine to individuals over the age of 65, residents in long-term care facilities and adults who are either at high risk for experiencing severe COVID-19 symptoms, have jobs that put them at risk for exposure to the virus or live in communal settings. To receive a booster dose, individuals must have gotten their Pfizer vaccine at least six months ago. To date, Allegheny County has administered more than 16,000 additional doses of the COVID-19 vaccine since Aug. 13, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported. COVID-19 cases remain high in Allegheny County, with an average of 400 new cases reported each day last week, Bogen said. State breaks down vaccinations by legislative districtThe Pennsylvania Department of Health released vaccination rates by state legislative districts Monday. The data correlated with already available county data, showing higher rates in the southwestern and southeastern regions and lower rates in central Pennsylvania. The data excludes districts that partially or fully overlap with Philadelphia due to data reporting issues. In the House, Allegheny County Democratic Rep. Dan Miller's district led the way at 69.1% of residents fully vaccinated. A pair of Allegheny County Republicans, Rob Mercuri and Natalie Mihalek, represent the second- and third-most vaccinated districts at 68.9% and 67.3%, respectively. Republican Rep. Bryan Cutler of Lancaster County, the speaker of the House, represents the second-least vaccinated district at 32.2%. In the Senate, Democratic Allegheny County Sen. Wayne Fontana's district was ninth (55.5%) and Democratic Sen. Jay Costa's was 11th (55.1%). Among U.S. House districts, excluding those containing part of Philadelphia, Western Pennsylvania's 17th district, represented by Democratic Rep. Conor Lamb, led the way at 59.2%. Booster distribution and case updateVaccine providers in Allegheny County are preparing to administer COVID-19 booster shots, Health Department Director Dr. Debra Bogen said at a press briefing Wednesday, shortly before boosters for residents 65 and older received federal approval. "We meet as a group and talk about vaccine distribution and vaccine needs in the county, and we're all gearing up and will be ready when we're given the signal to do so," Bogen said. The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday evening authorized boosters for the people age 65 and older who received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine more than six months ago. Individuals at high-risk are also eligible, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to give guidance soon on who qualifies. The federal government has not approved boosters of other COVID-19 vaccines. The Pennsylvania Department of Health announced last week that, since January 2021, 97 percent of COVID-19-related deaths and 95 percent of reported hospitalizations due to COVID-19 were among unvaccinated or partially vaccinated people. A release from the Health Department Tuesday said there are more than 2,000 providers in the state with COVID-19 vaccine inventory. "Vaccine providers — especially pharmacies — have already done a tremendous job administering more than 12 million vaccines across the state," acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam said during a Tuesday briefing. "Now they are ready to get booster shots to people as quickly and efficiently as possible." In Allegheny County, COVID-19 cases among residents remain high, with about 400 new cases reported each day last week, Bogen said. COVID-19 cases are significantly more frequent and severe among unvaccinated people, Bogen said. Since June, Allegheny County residents who are unvaccinated have been seven to eight times more likely to contract COVID-19, 10 times more likely to be hospitalized due to COVID-19 and 20 times more likely to die from COVID-19. Nearly 72% of Allegheny County residents have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine as of Sept. 22, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported. About 50 to 100 new COVID-19 cases are reported daily among children under the age of 12 in Allegheny County, Bogen said. On Friday, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh opened an outdoor medical tent to expand its ability to accommodate emergency pediatric patients, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported. "For many, any wait at an emergency department is short," Andrea Kunicky, public relations manager for the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, wrote in a statement to PublicSource on Sept. 17. "But, given the high numbers of people seeking emergency care at some sites, esp. at this phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, we must use an initial triage process in each UPMC emergency department to help prioritize patients for care when immediate space isn't available." Parents of children experiencing health issues not related to COVID-19 should seek help from a primary, urgent or emergency care provider, depending on the severity of the issue, Bogen said. Parents should be mindful of the level of care they need, she added. As of Sept. 22, there are 12 pediatric intensive care unit beds available in Allegheny County, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported. — By Amelia Winger and Charlie Wolfson Resources COVID vaccine resources in the Pittsburgh region Housing and mental health supports amid COVID in Allegheny County Allegheny County's COVID-19 resource page with links to information on vaccines, testing sites and quarantine basics Allegheny County's map of vaccination sites (For more information or help with scheduling an appointment through Allegheny County's Area Agency on Aging, residents can call 412-350-4234.) Pennsylvania's COVID-19 vaccine rollout page 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.