Allegheny County Coronavirus Cases, Vaccinations Both On The Rise

ALLEGHENY COUNTY, PA — More than half of the county's adults has received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine, county health department officials said this week. More than 75 percent of those 65 and older have been at least partially vaccinated.

Despite the pause in administering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, health department Director Dr. Debra Bogen urged county residents to make every effort to be vaccinated.

“As your health department director, I urge you not to view this pause as a signal that our local, state or federal vaccination efforts are in any way flawed,” she said at a news briefing. “Rather, view this response as evidence that the health care officials will do, and have done, decisive action at the slightest issue.”

Bogen said the county's fourth case surge since the pandemic began is continuing, with several hundred new cases being reported daily. The county's positivity rate is at 9.6 percent, one percentage point higher than last week.

The county now is collecting information on breakthrough cases - people who test positive for the virus after receiving a shot. Bogen is pleased with the data thus far; she said that as of April 13, the health department is aware of 109 breakthrough cases out of 213,000 people vaccinated - or about 0.05 percent.