Westmoreland County reports fewer new covid cases, deaths

Westmoreland County added 213 new covid-19 cases over the past two days, according to a report Monday from the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

The two-day total — from cases added Sunday and Monday — were just one less than last week’s report (214). It’s the lowest Sunday-Monday tally since Nov. 8-9, when the county saw 199 new cases reported.

Among the new cases, 145 were confirmed through 677 PCR tests. Sixty eight cases were listed as 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.

The county recorded six new covid-related deaths over the two-day span, bringing the seven-day total to 36 — more than 30% lower than last week’s 52. A total of 571 residents of Westmoreland County have died from covid-19 since the pandemic began.

State records show there are fewer PCR tests being conducted than in mid-December. However, the positivity rate of those taking the test in Westmoreland County has declined significantly since then. On Dec. 16, the seven-day average positivity rate of the PCR tests in Westmoreland County was 46%. The current seven-day average has dropped to just below 24%.

According to the Open Data PA website, there are currently 145 Westmoreland County residents hospitalized for covid-19, with nine of them in intensive care units and seven on a ventilator. Hospitalizations in Westmoreland County have been relatively consistent over the past week.

Since last March, 24,175 cases of coronavirus have been recorded in Westmoreland County, with 17,487 of those being confirmed through PCR tests.