by PublicSource Reporters
The Allegheny County Department of Health [ACHD] reported 80 new COVID- 19 infections Friday and six COVID-related fatalities. The newly reported cases bring the statewide total count since March 14 to 9,756 infections. The county has seen 915 current and past hospitalizations throughout the pandemic.
The new cases come from 1,397 tests conducted from Aug. 11 through Aug. 20. Roughly 56% of the new cases were in people younger than 50.
The fatalities include patients with ages ranging from the 50s to 90s. All the fatalities were between Aug. 13 and 19 and four were associated with long-term care facilities.
To date, there have been 304 deaths.
ACHD is no longer reporting the number of new patients hospitalized.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health [DOH] reported 693 new infections and 20 fatalities Friday, bringing the statewide tallies to 127,633 cases and 7,558 deaths.
In April, roughly 5% of cases in the region were among 19 to 24 year olds. So far in August, the age group represented nearly 12% of COVID infections.
Still, personal care and nursing homes continue to bear the brunt of the deaths, with residents representing 67.8% of all COVID-related fatalities in the state.
Roughly 9,203, or 7.2% of all infections, are among healthcare workers. County-specific information and a statewide map are available on the COVID-19 Data Dashboard.
Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding has joined Secretary of Education Pedro Rivera in sending a letter to United States Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue calling for the department to extend five waivers that allow schools greater flexibility in meal distribution.
The waivers would allow the Summer Food Service Program to provide meals to children during the upcoming school year and permit Afterschool Meal and Snack Programs to provide food without the required after-school activity, among other measures. Without an extension, these waivers are set to expire at the end of August, Redding said during a press conference.
“Expiration of these waivers will exacerbate an already challenging situation our food banks are facing,” Redding said Thursday.
The percentage of children in the state experiencing food insecurity is projected to increase by 23.8% in 2020 compared to 15.1% in 2018, according to the state.
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