Covid cases, deaths rising among younger Allegheny County residents

As covid-19 cases have continued to rise, particularly among younger people, so too have deaths, said Allegheny Health Director Dr. Debra Bogen.

Five people in the 25- to 49-year-old age group have died so far in September, Bogen said.

“If you’re young and healthy and you get covid, there’s a very good chance you’ll be fine and that your family will be fine,” she said Wednesday during her weekly briefing. “You might not even feel any symptoms. However, you might not be fine. You might get seriously sick or die.

“These are young folks,” she continued. “Why take the chance?”

The department on Wednesday reported 188 new cases among that age group in just the past 24 hours. On Tuesday, 157 new cases were reported among people between the ages of 25 and 49. On Monday, health officials noted 405 cases reported in the previous 72 hours.

Otherwise, Bogen said, “very little has changed since last week.” The county continues to average about 400 new cases a day, and the positivity rate is hovering around 6%.

“We continue to see an increase in preventable hospitalizations and deaths from the virus,” she said.

Officials said investigators are tracing outbreaks back to large gatherings like sporting events, parties and concerts – places where “a majority of people are neither masked nor distanced,” Bogen noted.

In terms of booster shots, approved last week by the Food and Drug Administration for certain groups, Bogen said “it seems to be going well.”

She said about 14,000 residents who qualify for booster shots have gotten the shot, and while people are taking advantage of it, “we haven’t heard of people being overrun with requests.”