by PublicSource
COVID-19 cases in Allegheny County continue to surge as the omicron variant spreads, with hospitalizations rising.
On Tuesday, Allegheny County reported 23,459 COVID-19 infections from Jan. 2-8, an increase of about 10,000 cases from the prior week. Currently, 745 patients are hospitalized with COVID, including 43 on ventilators.
The county reached its peak of COVID hospitalizations, with 881 patients, in December 2020.
About 9% of the new cases are reinfections, and the county notes that a large number of new cases are in unvaccinated individuals.
To protect themselves against the virus, Bogen advised Allegheny County residents to get the COVID-19 vaccine if they are eligible, including booster shots.
“It may not prevent you from getting COVID, but it will protect you from hospitalization and death, which is what vaccines are designed to do,” Bogen said.
She also recommended residents distance themselves from one another, frequently wash their hands and wear masks indoors and in public spaces.
Because of the case surge, the county will only contact people who test positive for COVID-19 if they are older than 65 but is experiencing a “significant backlog.”
— By PublicSource intern Amelia Winger
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PublicSource has been tracking COVID-19’s spread on a daily basis since March 2020. More than a year later, in an effort to direct our resources into enterprise reporting on the pandemic and other important issues, we will cover the Allegheny County Health Department’s weekly briefing on Wednesdays and update the numbers on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. We may adjust as the prevalence of the coronavirus ebbs and flows. If you have questions or comments, please email PublicSource’s managing editor [email protected].