Concern is growing over what some are describing as a dramatic rise in COVID numbers, which are up by 30 TO 35 percent locally and around the state.
Here's what County Executive Rich Fitzgerald told Marty Griffin on News Radio KDKA.
"We started seeing better numbers because it was coming down for a number of weeks. And then we relaxed. So there is a concern. We've seen it at the university level, we've seen more partying going on, more gatherings, cases are going up".
The good news is deaths and hospitalizations are way down. Fitzgerald says that's because a good number of the elderly population has been fully vaccinated, and they're the ones who are most vulnerable to serious illness with this disease, whereas younger people, who are not yet vaccinated, are relaxing restrictions too early, and they're the ones getting sick, but not ending up in the hospital because of their age.
Today's COVID report from the county has 428 new cases and one additional death. Fitzgerald says we need to encourage people to keep wearing the masks and keep social distancing until this virus is finally under control.
Fitzgerald also says he's expecting vaccine distribution and vaccination clinics to really ramp up over the next couple of weeks, especially with the addition of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine now in the mix.
