Allegheny County reports 41 new covid deaths, 1,020 cases

Allegheny County on Tuesday reported 41 new deaths attributed to covid-19 and 1,020 additional cases of the virus.

Total deaths and cases are now at 898 and 52,473, respectively, in the county. There have been 389 deaths and 24,069 cases reported in December thus far.

Of the new deaths, one person was in their 40s, two in their 50s, six in their 60s, 11 in their 70s, 13 in their 80s and eight in their 90s, according to the county health department. About half of newly reported deaths (21) deaths are associated with long-term care facilities, the county said. Dates of death range from Dec. 3 to Saturday.

The cases reported Tuesday are the most in two weeks, when the county reported 1,074 cases Dec. 16. New cases range in age from 2 months to 98 years, with a median age of 41. Dates of positive tests range from Nov. 24 to Monday, with the county health department noting that 29 positive tests are more than a week old.

Of the new cases, 329 are confirmed and 691 are probable. Health officials define a probable case as one in which a patient has a positive viral antigen test or covid symptoms with a “high-risk exposure” to someone who has been confirmed to have coronavirus.

As of Tuesday, there are 730 covid-19 patients hospitalized in Allegheny County, with 180 in the ICU and 104 on ventilators, according to state Department of Health data. There are 64 ICU and 447 medical/surgical beds available in the county, according to the DOH covid-19 dashboard, which equates to about 11% and 13% of those beds, respectively.