The Allegheny County Health Department [ACHD] reported 271 new COVID-19 cases and 30 deaths on Saturday.
The new cases, from positive tests dated Dec. 18 to Feb. 5, come from individuals ranging in age from 3 months to 98 years, with a median age of 40. Fifteen of the tests were more than a week old. To date, the ACHD has reported 71,083 cases, 1,527 deaths from the virus, and 4,589 past and present hospitalizations.
ACHD announced on Thursday that residents would be able to call 211 to help register for COVID-19 vaccine appointments. By late afternoon, all 750 slots available at the Health Department’s Point of Dispensing [POD] inside the DoubleTree Hotel in Monroeville were filled. The phone registration support was part of ACHD’s expanded partnership with United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania and was intended to help residents 65 and older that did not have internet access or were having trouble navigating the vaccine registration website.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health [DOH] confirmed 3,930 new COVID-19 cases and 157 new deaths Saturday. This brings the totals since the start of the pandemic to 865,604 cases and 22,396 deaths. Nursing and personal care home residents and employees represent about 8.9% of the state’s cases and about 52% of the state’s deaths. Healthcare workers represent about 2.7% of the state’s cases.
Vaccination update
DOH in a Friday press briefing sought to ensure Pennsylvanians that there is an adequate and continuous supply of vaccines being delivered to counties across the state.
Dr. John Kelly, a physician at Penn Medicine, vouched for the effectiveness of the vaccine, urging the eligible residents to obtain their doses as quickly as possible.
“Vaccines work,” Kelly said during the briefing. “I received my vaccine a couple of weeks ago without having any major difficulties, but it is imperative that once you receive your first dose, you immediately schedule for your second dose to make sure you receive the adequate protection and benefits.”
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