Half of Pa. school districts with mask mandates are in Allegheny County, officials say

There are 59 school districts in Pennsylvania with mask mandates, officials said Wednesday. About half of those districts exist in Allegheny County.

Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald praised those 30 Allegheny County school districts and their school boards for instituting the mask mandates, a move meant to protect, among the entire school population, kids under the age of 12 who are not eligible for any covid-19 vaccine.

Fitzgerald said that although the county health department and its director, Dr. Debra Bogen, have the authority to mandate masks in K-12 schools, it remains only a recommendation that they endorse from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“I’m hopeful the rest of the schools take that advice to heart,” he said during the weekly county covid-19 briefing.

His call to action coincides with Gov. Tom Wolf’s call for the state legislature to return to session and pass legislation mandating masks in Pennsylvania schools. A ballot initiative effectively stripped Wolf and the state Department of Health from issuing overarching public health mandates without legislative approval.

Just 59 school districts out of the 474 that submitted health and safety plans to the Department of Education had implemented mandatory masking policies as of the end of July, Wolf said this week. The issue of masks in schools has become political and divisive in Western Pennsylvania and across the country.

The push to require masks comes as cases continue to rise among children and younger adults. On Wednesday, the county reported 11 new covid cases among children aged 4 and under and 23 among children aged 5 to 12.They are among the 318 total new cases reported.

The positivity rate among children has increased steadily over the past month. The 14-day average for children 4 and under on July 24 was 0.9%; on Tuesday, it was 3.2%. During that same timeframe, the 14-day average for kids 5 to 12 rose from 3% to 8%.

Of eight new deaths reported Wednesday, seven occurred this month. There have been 20 reported deaths so far in August, according to county data, already double the number reported in July.

“The number of cases of covid-19 are increasing — more slowly than in late July and early August, but certainly increasing,” Bogen said. “Unfortunately but not unexpectedly, hospitalizations are also increasing here in Allegheny County.”

She said local hospital systems are not overwhelmed as they are in states with low rates of vaccinations, but a majority of those hospitalized here are unvaccinated.

Bogen continued to beat the drum for vaccinations, noting there was a slight bump in county residents getting vaccinated last week. She, as she has during every briefing, implored skeptics to look at the numbers and the science. She pointed to the total 357 million doses of the vaccine given in the United States as of last week and the exceedingly rarity of serious side effects.

“I know that among skeptics, there is a belief that the vaccines were rushed, that they were not studied long enough to guarantee their safety,” she said. “But here’s the truth: The covid-19 vaccines have undergone intensive safety monitoring. They were studied and evaluated in tens of thousands of participants in clinic trials, including myself and our county executive.”

Around 75% of the county’s population is fully vaccinated. About 65% of adults statewide are vaccinated.

“We should not fear the vaccines or cast suspicion on them. We should celebrate them for what they are: lifesavers,” Bogen said. “They are safe, they were not rushed, and they very well could save your life.”