• Pa. reports nearly 8K new virus cases, 231 more deaths,
Allegheny County reports nearly 800 new virus cases, 10 more deaths
State health officials on Tuesday discussed a new digital tool for contact tracing to help track and slow the spread of COVID19.
Called the Connect & Protect Form, it is available for Pennsylvanians ages 19 to 64 who have come in contact with someone positive for COVID-19 and who live in a county or area without a local health department.
“This case investigation is essential to learn more about where an individual diagnosed with COVID went, and who they came in contact with while they were infectious,” said Lindsey Mauldin, the state Department of Health’s special assistant on contact tracing.
The state has more than 1,600 contact tracers tracking the spread of the novel coronavirus, but those efforts have been hampered by the scale of community spread and people’s resistance to answer case investigators’ calls.
“We do think that when it comes to a survey like this, folks might be more apt to put that information in, especially information that might be stigmatizing or that they might be afraid to share based on being a contact or a close case,” Ms. Mauldin said.
The first day, Monday, showed some success with people returning information, with about half of the 284 people contacted completing the form, Ms. Mauldin said.
Health officials have stressed that the investigations are anonymous and are a critical part of protecting people from the virus, which has killed 14,212 Pennsylvanians to date.
The Allegheny County Health Department on Tuesday reported 10 more deaths due to COVID-19 and 797 new cases of the virus, bringing the county’s totals to 47,908 cases and nearly 800 deaths.
Of the positive tests, 407 were confirmed while the rest were marked as probable, with people ages 1 to 98 years among those tested. Nearly all of the tests were conducted in the past week.
The dates of the new deaths were also relatively recent, ranging from Dec. 15 to Dec. 20. Of those who were reported to have lost their lives to the virus, one person was in their 50s, six were in their 80s and three were in their 90s. Three of those people were associated with longterm care facilities, the county
said.
To date, 790 Allegheny County residents have died after becoming infected with the virus, health officials reported. Statewide, there were 7,962 additional cases reported by the Pennsylvania Department of Health for a total of 571,551. The state also reported that 231 more people have died from the virus.
More testing may be available following the signing of the COVID-19 relief bill that passed Congress on Monday, said the state director of testing and contact tracing, Michael Huff.
“The potential new funding could give Pennsylvania the opportunity to increase surveillance testing,” Mr. Huff said, by testing asymptomatic people in congregate settings like college campuses, allowing people to move into isolation and stop the spread earlier. Rapid testing is also expected to become more widely available.
“Together, masking, social distancing and surveillance testing are key public health strategies used to contain disease,” Mr. Huff said.
Additional information can be found on the county’s COVID-19 dashboard and from the state Department of Health.