Allegheny County officials worried about large New Year's parties leading to covid spread

Allegheny County officials remain concerned about a post-holiday surge in covid-19 cases, as case investigators have already begun receiving reports of cases stemming from parties and travel.

Dr. Debra Bogen, director of the county health department, said cases and hospitalizations hit a peak in late November and early December and “have been trending down since.

“While this is encouraging,” she said, “I am unsure it will continue as I remain worried about a post-holiday surge. The health department has already received reports of cases who attended Christmas and New Year’s Eve parties and who traveled.”

She said case investigators are looking at five New Year’s Eve parties. She said some had more than 40 attendees, many of whom were younger people, and there have been “multiple cases attributed to each of these events already.

“As we have seen in the past, cases among young, healthy people can quickly spread to their older, more vulnerable family and friends,” Bogen said.

She said the health department has seen an increase in the number of cases transferred to Allegheny County from other states and counties, and contact tracers have seen an increase in the number of out-of-state contacts they’re provided.

The county on Wednesday reported the most new covid-19 cases in the state at 881, bringing the countywide total to 57,708. Forty-six covid deaths, ranging from Nov. 28 through Tuesday, were also in the county.

Bogen said December was the deadliest month for the county in terms of covid-19, and she noted that 40% of all covid-19 deaths in the county happened in December.

According to the state’s covid-19 dashboard, there are currently 654 coronavirus patients hospitalized in the county, a change of 12 from Tuesday’s 666.