The Allegheny County Health Department reported 34 new deaths and 727 new COVID-19 cases Wednesday. To date, ACHD has reported 35,541 cases, 619 deaths and 2,361 past and present hospitalizations.
The newly-reported deaths occurred from Nov. 20 to Dec. 8. The deaths included one individual in their 40s, one in their 50s, four in their 70s, 16 in their 80s and 12 in their 90s.
The new cases, which came from Nov. 28 to Dec. 8, occurred in individuals from 4 months old to 100 years, with a median age of 43 years.
During a Tuesday UPMC press briefing, UPMC officials said that UPMC hospitals are “busy but not overwhelmed.” Leslie Davis, UPMC’s senior vice president, announced that UPMC has brought in nearly 200 nurses in the past week to provide additional staffing as hospitals expand hours of care to address the surge in coronavirus cases.
Dr. Graham Snyder, UPMC’s medical director of infection prevention and hospital epidemiology, reported that UPMC’s hospitals are preparing to receive thousands of doses of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine and are expecting the Moderna vaccine to be arriving soon in skilled nursing facilities.
He said UPMC is “optimistic” that they will be able to provide vaccines to all front line workers before the end of January. The first allocation of vaccines will not be available to the public.
“We need our healthcare workforce to stay healthy so they can continue providing care for our communities,” Snyder said. He noted that despite the arrival of a vaccine, people should continue to abide by health and safety guidelines, including social distancing, washing hands, and wearing masks.
A person wears a full face respirator and gloves in the Strip District. (Photo by Kimberly Rowen/PublicSource)
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