Anyone can contract the novel coronavirus — but some people are at greater risk for severe illness than others. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], those at greatest risk include the elderly and people with underlying health conditions.
Across Allegheny County, several communities have a high prevalence of health factors associated with a greater risk for severe illness from COVID-19 — including advanced age, smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes and asthma.
Allegheny County residents at risk for severe COVID-19 also tend to be clustered in communities with lower resources, based on factors like percentage of population below the federal poverty line or households with no available vehicle.
The communities that stand out based on both health factors and level of need include many places in the Mon Valley, northeastern Allegheny County like Tarentum and West Deer Township, eastern suburbs like Penn Hills and several Pittsburgh neighborhoods, especially those with a large share of Black residents.
The following maps display areas where COVID-19 risk factors may be most concentrated across Allegheny County. They are not exhaustive because there was no local data available for some known COVID-19 risk factors, like adult asthma.
The Allegheny County Health Department on Friday released a map showing where local coronavirus patients live, based on municipality. The majority of the county’s cases are in Pittsburgh, which does not include a neighborhood breakdown.
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