After adding 200 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, Allegheny County recorded 189 new cases on Thursday.
The county has seen an average of 164 new daily cases over the past seven days, while adding 1,150 new cases in that time. The new cases bring the county’s total to 16,599, according to the Allegheny County Health Department.
There were no new deaths reported. The death toll stands at 422.
According to the Allegheny County Health Department’s covid-19 dashboard, 16,410 individuals have been tested for the virus.
Out of Thursday’s cases, the Allegheny County Health Department said 115 were confirmed and 74 were probable from 1,332 PCR tests. The daily PCR test positivity rate — the percentage of PCR tests that come back positive — was 8.63%.
New cases range from 3 weeks old to 98 years old with a median age of 41. The dates of positive tests ranged from Oct. 27 to Wednesday.
The age groups of the newly reported cases — 106 males and 83 females — are:
- 0-4: 5
- 5-12: 1
- 13-18: 8
- 19-24: 22
- 25-49: 74
- 50-64: 52
- 65+: 27
The county also reported seven new hospitalizations. According to the state covid-19 dashboard, 137 people in Allegheny County are hospitalized for the virus, with 29 patients on a ventilator.
The county saw an increase in cases in October, which has continued this month.
On Wednesday, Allegheny County Health Director Dr. Debra Bogen reiterated her message of prior weeks: that transmission throughout the county has not been tied to many large outbreaks or particular activities.
“The behavior of the virus in our community has not changed,” Bogen said. “But as we move indoors, we must change our behavior.”
Health experts expect cold weather and influenza to exacerbate an already difficult situation with covid-19 in the region.
