Westmoreland adds 125 covid cases over past 2 days, 3 new deaths

There were 125 new cases of covid-19 in Westmoreland County over the past two days, according to a report Monday from the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

Health officials said another three people have died of the coronavirus — two reported Sunday, one on Monday. It’s the 12th consecutive day that Westmoreland has seen a new covid-related death, adding 20 deaths to the county’s total of 84.

Among the new positive cases added, 66 were added Monday, 59 added Sunday. Of Monday’s new cases, 64 were confirmed, two probable, while among Sunday’s cases, 46 were confirmed, 13 probable.

Over the weekend, Westmoreland County surpassed the 4,000-case mark, bringing its total to 4,097 coronavirus cases since the pandemic started in March.

The positivity rate in Westmoreland County slowly began climbing in late June, when it was around 3.5%. The rate has been climbing more rapidly since late September. It’s increased from 5% at the beginning of October to its current rate of about 7.5%.

Westmoreland County officials have said they cannot attribute the recent surge in coronavirus cases to any specific activity. However, some are suggesting that one factor could be that many have become complacent in following recommended health guidelines.

“I think people got lax because of (low summer numbers),” said Bud Mertz, Westmoreland County’s director of public safety. “People need to be aware this isn’t June or July anymore. We’re in the second surge.”

According to the state’s covid-19 tracking website, there are 39 Westmoreland County residents currently hospitalized with the virus, five of them on ventilators. State officials report there are 88 operational ventilators in the county, with 12 (13.6%) currently in use for all illnesses.

To date, there have been 54,980 individuals tested in the county, with 50,883 testing negative (a 92.5% negativity rate).