Allegheny County adds 252 new covid cases; 7-day average continues to drop

The seven-day average of covid-19 cases in Allegheny County on Friday continued to drop as 252 additional cases were reported, according to county and state health department data.

The seven-day average of 270 is the lowest since early November. It peaked at more than 1,300 in December.

Of the newly reported cases, 162 are confirmed from 1,106 new PCR tests and 90 were listed as probable, according to the county Health Department. The positive tests were from Jan. 18 to Feb. 10.

The new cases ranged in age from 3 weeks to 92 years, the health department reported.

Allegheny has had a total of 72,699 cases since the pandemic began in March, with 57,277 of those confirmed via PCR tests.

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.

There were 17 additional deaths reported with dates ranging from Jan. 2 to Feb. 10. The county has reported a total of 1,580 covid-related deaths.

Of the newly reported deaths, one person was in their 50s, four were in their 60s, one was their in their 70s, five were in their 80s and five were in their 90s. One person was more than 100 years old. Ten of the deaths were associated with long-term care homes, according to the health department.

There are currently 237 people in the county hospitalized for covid-19, with 55 of those in intensive care units and 23 using ventilators to breathe.

Since the pandemic began, Allegheny has had 4,647 people hospitalized for covid-19.