Allegheny County's covid rates still rising as some businesses ignore restrictions

Allegheny County’s current seven-day average for new infections is 1,000 new cases per day – an increase of about 150 cases from last week, officials said Wednesday. The percent of covid-19 cases returning with positive results has also climbed by 2% from last week – now at 14.6% positivity.

County Health Director Dr. Debra Bogen provided an update on the county’s climbing infection tally and rate of positivity at a virtual news conference Wednesday.

Bogen said testing has occurred at record levels, and hospitalizations have continued to increase – though at a slightly lower rate of admission. For the week of Nov. 25 through Dec. 5, Bogen said, around 220 Allegheny County residents were admitted, compared to about 200 the week before.

“This surge continues to put strain on our hospital staff and our resources,” she said.

Just halfway through December, 94 Allegheny County residents have died from covid-19. Sixteen of those residents were under the age of 65, which makes up a third of deaths in that age group since the beginning of the pandemic.

Bogen said she expects these metrics to continue to rise until the state starts to see effects of the statewide restrictions instituted last week – but that could take several weeks. Cases, hospitalizations and deaths are known to lag behind instances of large gatherings and other opportunities for spreading the virus.

Officials repeated pleas for residents to adjust their holiday plans, listen to the advice of medical experts and take precautions.

“These numbers continue to be alarming,” Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said.

Several businesses in the past few days have flouted the new restrictions to indoor dining. Since the orders were put in place last Saturday, Bogen said the health department has received about 250 complaints about businesses not following them, and a few have received several.

The health department does not have the authority to immediately shut down businesses who do not comply, she said – it can only order businesses to close and suspend operating permits. From there, it must work through the court system for further enforcement. Bogen said the department is largely relying on business owners and residents to “do the right thing.”

“We rely on you, residents, to patronize and support businesses that follow the rules, and shun those that do not,” Bogen said.

Restrictions on businesses ahead of Thanksgiving is likely what brought case numbers and hospital admissions down in Philadelphia County, Bogen said – allowing Allegheny County, similar in population size, to repeatedly record the highest daily case total in the last week.

“It demonstrates that the mitigation orders do work and are effective, and I hope we’ll see the same impacts here in the next couple of weeks,” she said.

Last week, Bogen had said county-level restrictions wouldn’t be “the most effective approach,” due to rampant spread across the entire region. She said statewide orders would better address the problem.

Officials encouraged patience in regards to the distribution of covid-19 vaccines, the first doses of which were administered to health care workers this week – including five UPMC nurses in Pittsburgh. Bogen reiterated the safety of the vaccine, while Fitzgerald encouraged cooperation as the county nears the “light at the end of the tunnel.”

“The good news is, we are near the end,” Fitzgerald said. “But the fact is, it’s really up to us to cooperate.”

The health department doesn’t yet have a definitive date for receiving its own doses of vaccine for distribution, Bogen said. When doses are received, she said, the department will work with municipalities, employers and other entities to make sure vaccines are accessible to all who desire them, in compliance with state and federal prioritization guidelines.