Allegheny County reports more than 6,000 new cases in a week – CBS Pittsburgh

By: KDKA-TV News Staff

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – Allegheny County Health Department is reporting 6,340 new COVID-19 cases and 48 deaths between December 19 and December 25.

The county has switched to weekly reports instead of daily reports, saying it will be able to provide more in-depth data on the pandemic as the world reels from the spread of the omicron variant.

Of the new cases, 7% of them (451) were revaccinated and 49% of the cases (3,119) were unvaccinated.

There have been 10,249 total hospitalizations and 169,393 total coronavirus infections in Allegheny County since the pandemic began.

The countywide death toll is 2,637.

In the county, officials say about 918,000 residents have received a single dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and about 300,000 have received a booster shot.

While many people have been vaccinated, which reduces their risk of serious illness or death from COVID-19, cases are still rising and County Executive Rich Fitzgerald has advised all people continue to wear masks in public spaces while the county experiences this increase.

“We continue to see an increasing number of new infections reported to the Ministry of Health, including both re-infections and outbreaks. We know this number is an understatement because many people are using home tests,” said Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Debra Bogen. “We confirmed last week the first localized case of COVID-19 due to the omicron variant from tests as early as December 10. We know that the omicron variant spreads efficiently and is capable of spreading. is the cause of the rapid increase in the number of cases. I predict that the number of cases will continue to increase in the coming weeks.”

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