Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald says Dr. Debra Bogen of the County Health Department is sounding the alarm about the rise in coronavirus cases, and rightly so.
The county has fallen into a pattern in which we're seeing between 300 and 400 new cases a day.
A closer look at the numbers tells the story of who is getting sick. A vast majority of people in the county over the age 65 have already been vaccinated with at least one dose. Unlike one year ago, when it was mostly people in nursing homes who ended up in the hospital, many of those currently testing positive for COVID-19 are under the age of 25. Fitzgerald tells Larry and Kevin on the News Radio KDKA morning show that these numbers are proof that it's now the younger people who are at risk for this virus.
"Not just necessarily fatalities", he says, "...but quality of life. People get vertigo, have long-term implications".
Fitzgerald has this advice for folks who are experiencing COVID fatigue.
"Well, if you're going to go some place, wear your mask. If you haven't been vaccinated, you've really got to be careful. You don't want to be one of the last people to get COVID."
Fitzgerald says people need to hang on for another 4 to 6 weeks, when a lot more of the population will be vaccinated.
