New covid cases continue statewide drop, rise in Allegheny and Westmoreland

It was a mix of good and bad news in the latest coronavirus reports in the state and Western Pennsylvania region.

For a fifth straight Monday, Pennsylvania’s two-day covid-19 case report has shown a decline week over week. The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported a two-day count of 4,381 new covid cases — just over a 13% drop from the previous week (5,043).

However, in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties, the two-day case reports went up — significantly in Allegheny, slightly in Westmoreland.

Cases

Of Pennsylvania’s newest cases, 3,248 were confirmed from PCR testing, while 1,133 were listed as probable cases. 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.

The state’s two-day tally of 4,381 new cases is the lowest two-day amount since March 22, when there were 3,920 cases reported. Today marks the 14th straight day Pennsylvania has lowered its seven-day case average (now at 3,204) and seven-day case total (now at 22,429).

On Monday, the Allegheny County Health Department reported 454 new cases over the past two days, an increase of 46% over last week’s two-day report (311). The increase was significant mainly because last Monday’s new case figure was 94 — much lower than usual. There has been no reason given for last week’s low report.

Despite the latest week-over-week boost in cases, Allegheny County has been averaging 258 new cases per day over the past seven days — about 12% lower than the previous seven-day average (294).

Of the county’s latest cases, 296 were confirmed and 158 listed as probable. New cases ranged in age from 3 months to 89 years, with a median age of 31 years.

The age-breakdown of Allegheny County’s new cases — 248 females, 206 males — are:

• Ages 0-4: 17
• Ages 5-12: 31
• Ages 13-18: 67
• Ages 19-24: 49
• Ages 25-49: 183
• Ages 50-64: 79
• Ages 65 and over: 28

In Westmoreland County, the latest two-day report of 123 cases is just slightly higher than last week’s 116 cases. The county is averaging 82 new cases per day over the past week, a decline of nearly 20% over last Monday’s seven-day average (102).

Of Westmoreland’s latest cases, 53 were confirmed and 70 listed as probable.

Philadelphia led all counties in the state in new cases over the past two days with 699. It was followed by Allegheny (454), Montgomery (241), York (199) and Bucks (193).

Here’s a look at other counties in the region, with their changes from Saturday:

• Armstrong: 5,763 (+22)
• Beaver: 14,803 (+45)
• Butler: 16,860 (+59)
• Fayette: 12,552 (+82)
• Indiana: 5,964 (+25)
• Somerset: 7,622 (+46)
• Washington: 17,024 (+78)

Deaths

State health officials reported 23 new covid-related deaths in Monday’s report, bringing the state total since the pandemic began to 26,276.

Of the latest deaths reported, 21 were from April, one was from March and one from December. The new numbers increase April’s total to 975 covid-19 deaths. It was the state’s seventh deadliest month of the pandemic.

In Allegheny County, officials reported no new deaths in the two-day period, leaving the county’s total to date at 1,867 deaths.

There was one new death reported in Westmoreland County in the past two days, bringing the county’s total to 746, with 10 deaths in the past week.

Hospitalizations

According to the latest numbers from OpenData PA, the number of people hospitalized in Pennsylvania for covid-19 has declined by 56 over the past two days, standing at 2,151. Over the past week, the number has dropped by 344. Of those in hospitals, 484 are in intensive care units and 261 are on ventilators.

In Allegheny County, there are 186 covid patients in the hospital, with 55 of them in ICUs and 33 on ventilators. The number of residents hospitalized dropped by 14 in the past two days and by 68 in the past week.

There are 31 covid patients in Westmoreland County, with eight of them in ICUs and four on ventilators. The current number in Westmoreland dropped by one in the past two days and by 15 in the past week.

Vaccinations

Pennsylvania’s vaccine push continues to tick upward, nearing closer to the halfway mark of the state’s population being at least partially covered.

The latest numbers show that at least 6.19 million people in the state (48.7%) have at least one dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine. There are over 4 million (nearly 32%) people who have both doses of the Pfizer or Moderna or the single-dose Johnson & Johnson shot. Those numbers include vaccinations in the city of Philadelphia, which records its own data. However, Philadelphia’s vaccine numbers have not been updated since Friday.

More than 55% of all residents (675,818) in Allegheny County have received at least one dose of a covid vaccine, while over 35% (430,585) have both doses.

In Westmoreland County, just over 42% of the population (153,679) has at least one dose of a covid vaccine, while nearly 30% (107,442) have been fully vaccinated.