Pennsylvania Seeing 'Steep Increase' In COVID-19 Cases
By: KDKA-TV News Staff
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Pennsylvania is seeing a "steep increase" in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations as the Omicron variant continues to rapidly spread.
The state and county health departments released weekly COVID data Wednesday. From Dec. 27 to Jan. 2, Pennsylvania averaged more than 18,000 cases a day and hospitalizations rose by more than 22%, the state Health Department said.
Allegheny County reported 13,000 new cases for Dec. 26 to Jan. 1. Nine percent were reinfections and 46% were in unvaccinated people, though the health department said it was missing the vaccine status for a "substantial" amount of newly reported infections. Forty-one more people died.
"Pennsylvania, like the rest of the nation, is experiencing a steep increase in the number of COVID-19 cases," Acting Pennslyvania Health Secretary Keara Klinepeter said in a news release. "This should not cause panic, but it should be a call to immediate action."
Klinepeter said Pennsylvanians should get vaccinated and boostered, wear a mask inside public places regardless of vaccination status and get tested then follow the latest quarantine guidance if they're exposed or develop symptoms.
Slightly more than 74.1% of Pennsylvanian adults are now vaccinated. Nearly 37,000 Pennsylvanians have died. Doctors predict it could be weeks before the current surge plateaus.