Allegheny County COVID-19 Death Toll Surpasses 3,000: 'These People Are Not Numbers'
Madeline Bartos/KDKA-TV News Staff
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - COVID-19 has killed more than 3,000 people in Allegheny County.
Dr. Debra Bogen said case numbers have fallen steadily and dramatically, but on Wednesday the county reached "a heartbreaking milestone."
"As I've noted before, these people are not numbers. They are beloved members of our community—grandparents, parents, children, friends and neighbors," she said in a statement posted to Twitter.
To put it in perspective, she said the flu killed fewer than 100 residents from 2015 to 2022.
More than 70 percent of residents have been vaccinated, and Bogen urges those who haven't gotten the shot yet to talk to a health care provider.
"As a healthcare provider and member of this community, I find it heartbreaking to see people die prematurely from what has become increasingly a vaccine-preventable death," Bogen said in her statement.
Allegheny County reported 3,850 COVID-19 cases for the week of Jan. 30 to Feb. 5, a sharp drop from the previous week's 10,455 infections.
The state is also seeing a decrease in cases. Last week's daily average was 5,487, another steep decline from the 11,405 reported the week before. Hospitalizations also decreased 25.8 percent from the week before.
As we move into the "post-omicron" stage of the pandemic, Bogen said there are reasons for optimism, citing widely available vaccines that may soon also be approved for the youngest age group, evolving treatments and medications to prevent severe illness.
