Allegheny County Health Director: 'Better Days Lie Ahead,' But 'The Pandemic Is Not Over'
By: KDKA-TV News Staff
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Allegheny County's health director said "better days lie ahead," but there may be more COVID-19 surges that require a return to mask-wearing.
Bogen said the county averaged 150 to 175 COVID-19 cases a day last week, a significant drop compared to January's daily average of 3,000.
Last week, the CDC changed its mask guidelines to incorporate data on hospitalizations and require indoor masking only in areas at "high" risk. Allegheny and its surrounding counties have a "low" risk where the only prevention steps the CDC recommends are vaccinations and testing for those with symptoms.
County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said cases, hospitalizations and deaths are all heading in the right direction. He said over 800,000 residents have been vaccinated and close to 1 million have gotten at least one dose.
Both Bogen and Fitzgerald continued to push for vaccinations, pointing to a study that showed residents who were fully vaccinated with boosters had a much lower hospitalization and death rate. Bogen said 251 unvaccinated residents per 10,000 were hospitalized, compared to 11 for the vaccinated. When it came to deaths, 48 unvaccinated per 10,000 died compared to two for the vaccinated.
"As we spring into warmer weather, better days lie ahead," Bogen said.
But she warned this isn't the end of COVID-19.
"The pandemic is not over. There will likely be more phases, possibly more surges and variants and you may be asked to wear a mask again for a limited time in certain settings. We don't know what the future holds but we do know that the present looks much better than it did last month and certainly better than it did in January," she said.