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Allegheny County Reports 17 New COVID Deaths

Armando Franca
/
AP
A doctor performs an ultrasound scan on a patient in a COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit at the Curry Cabral hospital in Lisbon, Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021.

The 17 new deaths reported Friday include information from the state electronic data system, some of which date back to Jan. 2.

UPMC has begun administering the COVID-19 vaccine to people who are 65 and older. The hospital system partnered with organizations that serve high-risk communities to identify seniors looking for vaccinations. One partner organization is Casa San Jose, and the executive director of the Latino resource center says UPMC served non-English speaking patients well.  As of Friday afternoon, all 2,000 appointments were booked. Read more here.

On this week's episode of our podcast Pittsburgh Explainer, host Liz Reid talks to health and science reporter Sarah Boden about the B.1.1.7. variant of the coronavirus found recently in Allegheny County and what it means. Reid also talks to reporter Kiley Koscinski about how elderly Pennsylvanians are having difficulties booking appointments for COVID vaccines online. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts

After weeks of criticism from older Pennsylvanians struggling to get COVID-19 vaccine appointments, Gov. Tom Wolf announced Thursday two state agencies are stepping up to help people over the age of 65 book COVID-19 vaccine appointments over the phone.

Pennsylvania school superintendents, school boards and teachers unions are asking Gov. Tom Wolf to prioritize school staff for the COVID-19 vaccine. In a letter to Wolf on Thursday, the groups said "school staff members and students are in a uniquely dangerous position." The Wolf administration says it's following federal government guidance. Teachers and other essential workers are in the next phase of vaccine distribution.

TODAY’S NUMBERS

Allegheny County:

  • 252 new cases
  • 17 new deaths

Pennsylvania: 

  • 3,987 new cases
  • 99 new deaths
  • 2,687 patients hospitalized
  • 538 patients in the ICU