Allegheny Co. COVID-19 Positive Test Rate Much Above PA Average

PITTSBURGH, PA — Over the past week, Allegheny County has had substantially higher coronavirus test positivity rates than the average across Pennsylvania for the same period.

According to figures released by the state Tuesday, between Nov. 23 and Nov. 30 the number of COVID-19 tests administered across the state was 375,888. Of those, 32,853 came back positive for a positivity rate of about 8 percent.

By contrast, the lowest positivity rate in Allegheny County during that period was more than double the state average for the week and for the past three days the county's positivity rate has been more than triple that of the state average. For the past three days, it has hovered close to 30 percent.

These are the numbers from the Allegheny County Health Department website:

• Nov. 30: 466 confirmed cases, 1,614 tests, positivity rate of 27 percent.
• Nov. 28-29: 902 confirmed cases, 3,339 tests, positivity rate of 27 percent.
• Nov. 27: 636 confirmed cases, 3,145 tests, positivity rate of 20 percent.
• Nov. 25-26: 1,302 confirmed cases, 5,904 tests, positivity rate of 22 percent.
• Nov. 24: 480 confirmed cases, 2,420 tests, positivity rate of 19 percent.

County Health Department Director Dr. Debra Bogen has expressed concern over the rising number of cases. She fears area hospitals could be overwhelmed in a few weeks when a surge of cases from people who attended family Thanksgiving gatherings is expected.

Epidemiologists generally agree that to control community spread of the virus, the average daily infection rate among those who are tested should not exceed 5 percent.

Community spread means people have been infected with the virus in an area, including some who are not sure how or where they became infected, according to the Centers for Disease Control.