Allegheny County COVID-19 Cases Peaking As Leaders Watch For Omicron Variant
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - While Delta remains the dominant strain in Allegheny County, public health leaders discussed the status of the Omicron variant on Wednesday.
Allegheny County Health Director Dr. Bogen said the new variant hasn't reached the county yet, but she does believe it's only a matter of time before it does.
The county reported 767 new cases and 25 more deaths on Wednesday. The county is averaging about 650 new cases every day, Bogen said, and about 1% are reinfections, which suggests the vaccine is doing its job.
The infection rate has reached 13.4%, which is very close to the high seen during last winter's peak.
About 4% of infections are undergoing sequencing by commercial labs to determine which variants are present.
Dr. Bogen said she and other public health leaders are working to learn exactly how much of an impact Omicron will have locally and whether vaccines will put up a fight.