• County tracks vaccinations by ZIP code to better distribution efforts,

Braddock has lowest rate, report reveals

Allegheny County Health Department has identified which ZIP codes have the lowest vaccination rates in an effort to examine the county’s distribution efforts in underserved areas.

“COVID-19 impacted communities of color disproportionately both locally and nationally,” county Health Director Dr. Debra Bogen said during a news conference Wednesday. “It’s therefore essential that vaccines reach communities of color with a goal to eliminate this disparity.”

The Health Department released a summary on its website, outlining which ZIP codes have the lowest rates of vaccination. There is a short summary report, with the vaccine data broken down by ZIP code. The summary also shows which areas have the lowest vaccination rates among Black, Asian American and Pacific Islander, and Hispanic individuals.

They also released a longer 15-page summary detailing the methods for data collection.

The latest report, which included data up to Aug. 14, listed Braddock as the ZIP code with the lowest overall vaccination rates in the county. Duquesne, Manchester, Central Business District and McKeesport follow in that order.

“Based on these ZIP codes we will work with community and vaccine partners to ensure that vaccines are easily accessible and available,” Dr. Bogen said.

The Health Department plans to release an updated report each month, she added.

During the news conference, both Dr. Bogen and county Executive Rich Fitzgerald reassured people of the efficacy and safety of the vaccines and encouraged those not already vaccinated to do so.

Dr. Bogen called the vaccines “vital to our response to this pandemic.”

Allegheny County has been slowly increasing its vaccination rates, with 64.9% of the 18 and older population being fully vaccinated, an increase of about half a percentage point over the past week.

Pennsylvania has also been following that course, with 65.1% of the 18 and up population being fully vaccinated as of Wednesday.

“The number of cases of COVID-19 are increasing, more slowly than late July and early August but certainly increasing,” she said Wednesday

Pennsylvania reported more than 8,000 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, the highest single-day increase the state has seen since late January.

With 8,849 new cases, Pennsylvania had its highest increase since Jan. 29, when 9,643 cases were recorded, about half of which were due to a backlog in data.

The state clarified Wednesday afternoon that 3,622 of the cases were for Wednesday. The other 5,227 cases are old test results that date “back to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic,” the state Health Department said.

Over 3,000 cases for a single day is an increase compared to recent reports. The state has been averaging about 2,000 new cases per day.

With the new data, the state has had a total of 1,281,199 people test positive for the virus.

Pennsylvania also reported 33 new deaths for Wednesday, bringing the state’s death toll to 28,131.

In Allegheny County, 318 new cases have been reported over the past 24 hours, bringing the county’s total to 108,052 cases.

As has been the case with the recent surge, the majority of the county’s cases are among people between 25 and 49 years old, according to data from the Health Department.

Following a trend that started in mid- July, the county’s weekly number of cases has continued to go up. Over the past seven days, 1,902 cases were logged by the Health Department. In the seven days prior, 1,343 cases were reported.

All 67 counties in Pennsylvania have rates of either substantial or high transmission, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“We have high levels of spread here in Allegheny County,” Dr. Bogen said. “Therefore I strongly encourage everyone to strictly adhere to the CDC recommendations to wear a well-fitting mask whenever indoors or around others, regardless of your vaccination status.”

Hospitalizations have also continued their steady increase in Pennsylvania. The state Health Department reported 1,617 people were currently hospitalized with the virus; a week ago there were 908.

Allegheny County has matched that trend, with 224 people hospitalized for COVID-19, over 100 more than last week’s reported 120 patients.

“Unfortunately, but not unexpectedly, hospitalizations are increasing,” Dr. Bogen said, noting that hospitalizations tend to lag behind case increases by about two weeks.

However, Allegheny County’s hospital systems are not overwhelmed, like those in areas with low vaccination rates, according to Dr. Bogen.

The county has not seen an increase in cases where children were hospitalized for COVID-19, she added.

Nine additional COVID-19related deaths were reported Wednesday in Allegheny County. The deaths are from an import of data from the state’s electronic reporting system, one of which dates back to December.

The other eight occurred in August. Two of the deaths were among people age 25-49, four were between 50 and 64, and three were over 65.

Since March 2020, 2,059 people in Allegheny County have died as a result of the virus.