Allegheny County issued a public health advisory to residents telling them to stay home and to cancel Thanksgiving celebrations with other households.
Dr. Debra Bogen of the Allegheny County Health Department made the announcement Wednesday in an official public health address.
Bogen spoke on the sharp spike of COVID-19 cases that the county has experienced in the past week. The county reported 620 new COVID cases Wednesday, the highest one day total since the start of the pandemic.
In her statement, Bogen compared the cases from just a month ago, in the middle of October, and the current trend.
Cases were totaling around 800 in mid October, but the total has increased to around 2,500 in the most recent seven-day span.
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"The rate of rise and the total number of cases of COVID-19 in Allegheny County remain very concerning. The total number of cases per week has increased from about 800 in mid October to about 2,500 this week. And this represents more than a tripling of cases in just a month. This increase, if sustained, threatens our health systems."
And because of the alarming trend, Bogen announced a stay-at-home and stop-social-gatherings advisory for residents of Allegheny County.
"Today, I am issuing a stay-at-home and stop-social-gatherings public health advisory. I'm advising all residents of Allegheny County to stay home, only leaving to go to work or school or for essential needs like medical care, getting their medications, groceries or food, and not to have guests at their home unless they’re essential workers like child care or home health aids."
Bogen seemed to be prepared for an influx of debates from comment-section doctors, too.
Bluntly, Bogen quelled one of the most commonly used counterarguments of “more test equating more cases."
Bogen quickly put that rebuttal to bed.
“Testing numbers have not increased enough to account for the sharp increase in cases, and our positivity rate continues to climb. The virus itself hasn’t changed. What has [changed] is our behavior. We’ve relaxed guidelines and regulations, allowed people to gather, go to events and parties. We’ve allowed restaurants to open with more tables available. We went back to work in offices, back to shopping more often in person, back to gathering with friends and family, and now we're inside more often. We need to change our behavior again.”
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With the behavioral changes that Bogen is hoping to see, she followed up with another splash of cold water: Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and the celebrations might have to take a virtual turn in 2020.
Thanksgiving gatherings could play a major role in the continuation and spread of the county’s already increasing case count, and Bogen approached that notion head-on.
"I'm also advising residents to cancel their traditional Thanksgiving celebrations that may involve members of other households and instead celebrate virtually. Avoid traveling and limit social gatherings like parties, dinners, barbecues, and other events. County residents are expected to follow the advisory, and if we do, cases will start to drop. If we don't, cases will continue to increase."
The full livestream can be viewed on the Allegheny County Health Department YouTube channel.