Allegheny County officials: State covid restrictions are needed

Allegheny County officials again said they are expecting new covid-19 restrictions from the state to be announced soon.

“We thought today there were going to be some announcements around mitigating strategies,” County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said during a virtual news conference Wednesday. “Obviously they are needed. … These numbers are not good.”

The county reported 34 new deaths Wednesday — a record for a single day — along with 727 new covid-19 infections.

Fitzgerald on Tuesday had predicted additional restrictions to come from the state — though spokespeople from the governor’s office and the Department of Health said no announcement is planned.

Gov. Tom Wolf’s office did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday evening. Wolf announced earlier in the day that he had tested positive for covid-19.

“We’re in uncharted waters here with the difficulties we have seen over the last few weeks,” Fitzgerald said.

Health Director Dr. Debra Bogen said the county’s seven-day rolling average case count is now at 832 cases per day. In the last seven days, the percent positivity for PCR tests is 12.6% in the county. Hospitalizations are also at an all-time high: At the start of November, Bogen said, there were about 45 county residents admitted each week. By mid-November, that metric doubled to about 100 new admissions each week, and by the end of the month, it doubled again to 200 per week.

She described a rapidly increasing death rate through the month of November — with 15 deaths in the first third, and 70 in the last third. There were a total of 138 deaths in the county last month. Bogen said the county knows of at least 32 deaths that have taken place in December, so far.

“The number of our friends, colleagues, neighbors and relatives that will die in the coming months, without serious mitigation efforts is heartbreaking to consider,” she said.

But the county is not planning its own mitigation strategies at this point, Bogen said – saying that would not be “the most effective approach.”

The surrounding counties, like Westmoreland, are experiencing the same increasing positivity rate and hospitalization surge, she said, and restricting public life in Allegheny County will not stop people from crossing county borders to work, visit restaurants or attend events. And as community hospitals become overwhelmed, there will likely be more hospitalizations in urban centers like Pittsburgh.

“The crisis facing Allegheny County residents is really a regional crisis. It’s a state crisis and frankly it’s a national crisis,” she said “Action is needed because mitigation strategies and measures really do work.”

Bogen once again pleaded for residents to practice individual responsibility and avoid large gatherings.

“Our success and our return to normal really depend on you,” she said. “The spread of the virus is being driven not by government action or inaction, but by personal choices made by each and every one of you.”

But while officials are encouraging the state to enact formal restrictions, they say they do not expect a complete shutdown. Instead, they anticipate new rules to target specific areas with heightened risk of spreading the virus. These include bars, restaurants, entertainment venues and other businesses where maskless gathering is common.

“These decisions are not made easily. These decisions are not made without a lot of angst, a lot of sleepless nights,” Fitzgerald said. “We know the impact this has on people’s lives.”

Fitzgerald said he is hopeful for another round of federal CARES Act funding, saying the current state of things constitutes a “viral disaster” that has especially affected the hospitality industry.

In preparation for the new restrictions, Fitzgerald said the county manager has committed $1 million to the United Way for its Student and Families Food Relief Fund, which is expected to provide 125,000 ready-to-eat meals to families in the area. The manager also authorized $1 million to the United Way’s Emergency Basic Needs network.

Wednesday’s news briefing occurred just hours after Wolf announced his positive test for covid-19. Wolf said he is asymptomatic and isolating at home. Both Bogen and Fitzgerald offered their sympathies to the Wolf, wishing him a speedy recovery.

“We need his leadership,” Fitzgerald said.