CDC: Allegheny, Westmoreland counties now considered to have high spread of covid-19

Allegheny, Westmoreland and several surrounding counties now have a high level of covid-19 transmission, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC defines a “high” covid-19 transmission level as more than 100 cases per 100,000 people or a 10% positivity rate in a particular county over seven days. Allegheny County’s positivity rate remains just over 5%; Westmoreland’s is just over 6.7%.

Dr. Debra Bogen, director of the Allegheny County Health Department, noted the county has gone from 10 to 15 new cases daily in late June and early July to more than 200 per day in recent days. On Monday, the health department reported just under 600 cases over the previous three days.

Many of those cases — 279 of them — were among the 25 to 49 age group; 86 were in children ages 18 or younger.

Bogen reiterated that the best defense against the virus and the highly contagious delta variant is vaccination.

“Getting vaccinated not only protects yourself, it protects others who cannot be vaccinated, including children and the immunocompromised,” she said, a message she has pressed upon for weeks as vaccination rates slowed both locally and nationwide.

Beyond Allegheny County, Westmoreland, Butler, Fayette, Lawrence, Washington, Beaver, Greene and Armstrong counties all have a high level of spread. Indiana and Somerset counties remain in the “substantial” transmission category — 50 to 100 cases per 100,000 residents or a 5-10% positivity rate over seven days.

Only one Pennsylvania county is considered to have low transmission: Sullivan County. Three others, most of which are in the northern part of the state, have moderate transmission rates.