COVID-19 numbers in Allegheny County continue to spike with 527 new cases being reported on Sunday.
The county hasn’t reported cases on Sunday for months now, but the alarmingly high number prompted the health department to release the latest numbers.
Cases for the week ranged from 317 to 527 cases on Sunday.
The ages of the new cases range from 3 months to 104-years-old. The median age is 40.
“The continued increase in new COVID cases is beyond concerning. This past week, I joined with the chief medical officers of our region’s health systems to talk about our growing concerns,” said Dr. Debra Bogen, Director of the Health Department.
“Despite our cautionary messages, the number of cases is continuing to increase rapidly. While we are better prepared today than when we first began seeing cases in March, we must still be proactive in reducing the spread of the virus.”
Since November 1, 4,230 people have been diagnosed with coronavirus. 24 people have died in that 15-day range.
Ages of those who tested positive:
00-04 - 8
05-12 - 15
13-18 - 32
19-24 - 78
25-49 - 201
50-64 - 111
65+ - 82
The genders of today's 527 newly reported cases follow:
Female - 294
Male - 233
“Doing nothing is no longer an option as we must protect our healthcare workers, both at hospital and long-term care facilities, and our first responders during this health crisis,” said Bogen. “People are doing well in structured settings, but we continue to see more and more cases as a result of unmonitored, private social gatherings.
“Just because you are gathering outdoors, or with people you know, doesn’t mean that you’re not at risk for COVID. Even outdoors or with those you know, people need to remain six feet apart and should be masked. Whether in someone’s backyard, or at a public space, the guidelines remain the same. We’ve become complacent in recent months, and the number of cases clearly shows that. We are actively considering what options are available to the Health Department to limit this spread.”
Since the first case was reported on March 14, 19,499 Allegheny County residents have contracted coronavirus, 458 have died.