KATIE BLACKLEY / 90.5 WESA
The Allegheny County Health Department reports that some 4,000 county residents have received their first doses of the coronavirus vaccine.
More than 41,000 doses have been distributed statewide, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The vaccine is a two-dose regimen, so those who have received it won’t reach full immunity until early next year.
While most of the vaccine distribution is being done through area hospitals, the county health department says it received its first allotment Wednesday morning, which it will distribute to county medical employees. This includes staff at the county jail and the Safe Haven Hotel a county-run facility that provides emergency housing to those who have been exposed to the coronavirus, or are ill with COVID-19.
Katie Blackley / 90.5 WESA
The ongoing pandemic coupled with the arrival of winter this week is putting additional strain on people experiencing homelessness and the shelters that serve them.
Dr. Jim Withers, founder and medical director of Pittsburgh Mercy’s Operation Safety Net, said COVID-19 has been a disaster on top of a chronic disaster for people who live outside, especially during colder weather.
“COVID has been a tremendous stress on them not just as a direct health threat but also disrupting the services they depend upon, “ Withers said.
Withers said since shelters have had to reduce capacity due to the pandemic, access to health care, food and rehabilitation services has been impacted.
Reply(1)
(Shutterstock)
PITTSBURGH, PA The Allegheny County Health Department on Wednesday reported 830 confirmed and probable new coronavirus cases. There have been 48,908 cases since the outbreak began in March, up from 47,908 on Tuesday.
There were four new coronavirus deaths. The county death toll now stands at 794, up from 790 on Tuesday.
The 621 confirmed cases came from 2,224 new tests - a positivity rate of 27 percent. For comparison purposes, the latest positivity rate for tests across Pennsylvania is 15.8 percent, state officials said.
Subscribe
There have been 3,012 hospitalizations during the outbreak, up from 2,956 on Tuesday.
With 17,079 cases in Westmoreland County, 7,997 in Butler County, 7,824 in Washington County and 7,514 in Beaver County, that brings the total number of cases to 87,607 when Allegheny County numbers are included. That s up from 87,607 on Tuesday.
UpdatedWed, Dec 23, 2020 at 12:33 pm ET
Replies(8)
(ACHD)
PITTSBURGH, PA The Allegheny County Health Department has ordered four restaurants to close violating the state s latest coronavirus mitigation orders. Gov. Tom Wolf announced earlier this month that restaurants across the state would be subject to three weeks of occupancy restrictions in attempt to curb an alarming rise in coronavirus cases and deaths in Pennsylvania.
The edict prohibits indoor dining until Jan. 4. Takeout and outdoor dining are still available, with many restaurants offering those options.
Al s Cafe on McMurray Road in Bethel Park was ordered shut down for providing indoor dining, bar service and for removing previously placed closure placards. Over the summer, Al s owner Rod Ambrogi launched the Southwestern Pennsylvania Restaurant and Tavern Association to fight the state s coronavirus restrictions.
TribLIVE s Daily and Weekly email newsletters deliver the news you want and information you need, right to your inbox.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health on Wednesday reported 9,605 new coronavirus cases and 230 deaths in the state.
The new positive tests bring the state’s total to 581,156 and the newly added deaths raise the state’s total to 14,442.
Pennsylvania’s seven-day average of new cases dropped to 8,827 after hitting a peak of 10,579 on Dec. 16.
Allegheny County had the most new cases in the state, followed by Philadelphia (624), York (565), Montgomery (470) and Lancaster (469). Here’s how the rest of the region fared, with change from Tuesday: