Westmoreland sees highest week of covid cases in 2 months

With 34 new cases of coronavirus added Friday, Westmoreland County saw its highest seven-day total of cases since late July.

From Saturday through Friday, 152 new cases were found in the county, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Prior to that, the largest seven-day total was 157, found from July 25-31.

Of Friday’s cases, 24 were confirmed, 10 were probable.

In the past week, 47 resident cases of coronavirus were discovered at Westmoreland Manor in Hempfield. However, not all of those cases were part of the past week’s increase in the county, according to Nate Wardle, press secretary for Department of Health.

“In the daily county long-term care facility data, Westmoreland County had 217 (long-term care facility) resident cases last Saturday and 241 LTCF resident cases today,” Wardle said. “That is an increase of 24 cases. So, while that increase is of particular concern, it also shows there is significant community spread occurring in the county.”

The 24 cases Wardle mentioned account for 15.7% of the week’s 152 cases in Westmoreland County.

In addition to the residents at Westmoreland Manor, 12 employees were found to be infected. However, it’s unclear whether they are Westmoreland County residents.

A total of 41,766 county residents have tested negative for the virus since the pandemic began in March.

For the third straight day, no new deaths were reported in the county. To date, there have been 52 covid-related deaths in Westmoreland County.

According to the state’s covid-19 tracking website, there are currently nine county residents hospitalized for the virus, with one of them on a ventilator. According to the state, there are a total of 88 ventilators in the county, with five (5.7%) currently in use for all illnesses.