In its first week, the new Allegheny County Covid Field Response Team visited about 350 facilities, Health Director Dr. Debra Bogen said at a press conference on Wednesday.
Of the companies visited, which included bars, restaurants, convenience stores, and others, 87% received a satisfactory report, while 13% had at least one problem to solve.
“Team members reported that the vast majority of bars and restaurants, large and small, are doing a great job of following security measures,” Bogen said.
County officials announced the new team at last week’s briefing. The team visits community businesses, checks their covid-19 response tactics, and provides feedback, evaluating how well they follow mandatory capacity constraints, mask and social distance requirements, and other guidelines.
The most commonly reported problem was that staff did not wear face covers, followed by too many people being allowed in, Bogen said.
Establishments that were marked with at least one item to address will have another team visit and will have an opportunity to improve their report. The department does not yet know when those follow-up visits will occur.
This week, Bogen and county executive Rich Fitzgerald informed residents of the increase in hospitalizations and the number of cases.
“July has been a very challenging month,” Fitzgerald said, saying the month saw nearly 5,000 positive tests. “It just shows some of the things that happened when we entered the green in early June. Things opened up maybe too fast. “
Fitzgerald said that county health initiatives in the past month, including restrictions on bars and restaurants, have helped reduce the total number of cases.
The county reported 10 new hospitalizations Wednesday and 77 in the past week. The increase in hospitalizations had long been predicted amid the general increase in daily cases, but Bogen said the numbers actually reflect admission dates in the past two weeks.
Bogen also assured listeners that county hospitals have the ability to handle the surge and provide additional ICU bed space, unlike other hospital regions such as Texas, Florida and California.
“Our hospitals are ready for it,” he said. “We are not in that situation here.”
While the initial increase was largely attributed to bars and restaurants, Bogen said the county is tracking an increasing number of infections at private parties, weddings, funerals and religious services, as well as in gyms and fitness centers. Bars and restaurants are still the most common places that infected people report, Bogen said.
For example, according to data from the health department, there were 57 cases related to parties between July 5 and 11 and 72 cases related to parties between July 12 and 18. The cases linked to bars and restaurants decreased slightly, from 162 cases between July 5 and 5. 11 and 127 between July 12 and 18.
“The data we collect through case investigation tells us where people who tested positive have gone, but they do not tell us where people became infected with the virus,” Bogen said.
He encouraged people to take precautions wherever they go.
Fitzgerald encouraged continued vigilance as schools prepare their reopening plans and the economy reopens. The findings from the Field Response Team are encouraging, so far, he said.
“It seems that the level of cooperation is very good,” Fitzgerald said of the bars and restaurants. “That is the most important thing if we are going to keep our economy and keep as many activities open as we can.”
Click here to view information on businesses visited so far.
Teghan Simonton is a writer for the Tribune-Review. You can contact Teghan at 724-226-4680, [email protected] or via Twitter.
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