Despite the surge, Pennsylvania officials are not planning to introduce any new restrictions.
by PublicSource Reporters
Amid a recent surge of COVID-19 cases, the Allegheny County Health Department [ACHD] reported 288 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday and three new deaths.
To date, ACHD has reported 20,814 cases, 462 deaths and 1,673 hospitalizations.
The new cases, 145 of which are confirmed, came from individuals ages 1 month to 100 years old, with a median age of 40. The positive tests occurred from July 22 to Nov. 16. Individuals younger than 50 constitute roughly two-thirds of the new cases.
“The continued increase in new COVID cases is beyond concerning. This past week, I joined with the chief medical officers of our region’s health systems to talk about our growing concerns,” ACHD Director Dr. Debra Bogen said in a statement issued on Sunday, a departure from the health department’s scheduled updates. “Despite our cautionary messages, the number of cases is continuing to increase rapidly. While we are better prepared today than when we first began seeing cases in March, we must still be proactive in reducing the spread of the virus.”
“Doing nothing is no longer an option as we must protect our healthcare workers, both at hospital and long-term care facilities, and our first responders during this health crisis,” Bogen said. “People are doing well in structured settings, but we continue to see more and more cases as a result of unmonitored, private social gatherings.
“Just because you are gathering outdoors, or with people you know, doesn’t mean that you’re not at risk for COVID,” she continued. “Even outdoors or with those you know, people need to remain six feet apart and should be masked. Whether in someone’s backyard, or at a public space, the guidelines remain the same. We’ve become complacent in recent months, and the number of cases clearly shows that. We are actively considering what options are available to the Health Department to limit this spread.”
Pennsylvania’s COVID-19 increase
The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 5,900 new cases Tuesday, bringing the total caseload to 275,513 and again marking the highest daily increase of cases in the state. The department also reported 30 new deaths for a total of 9,355 deaths.
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