Allegheny County covid hospitalizations drop by half in past month

Hospitalizations related to covid-19 have dropped by more than half in the past month in Allegheny County.

There are 386 coronavirus patients hospitalized, down from 793 on Dec. 20, according to data released Wednesday by the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The county reached its peak on Dec. 16 when 881 covid patients were hospitalized.

The county saw 463 additional coronavirus cases Wednesday, according the Allegheny County Health Department, bringing the total to 65,577.

The health department also added 20 deaths to bring its total to 1,245. Those deaths, which range from Aug. 15 to Jan. 18, include information imported by the state from the Electronic Death Reporting System. The deaths broke down as one in August, nine in December and 10 in January.

Of the deaths, one was a person under 10 years old, and the county reported it had no other information to release about the circumstances. The other deaths were two in their 60s, four in their 70s, five in their 80s and eight in their 90s.

The state’s health department added 32 deaths to its total for Allegheny County, which sits at 1,370. Reasons for the discrepancy between the two health departments haven’t fully been explained.

According to the state’s covid-19 dashboard, the 386 patients hospitalized in the county marks a decline of 27 from Tuesday’s 413. It’s also down 115 since last Wednesday’s 501. The county has 1,169 ventilators, with 337 in use, including 57 by covid-19 patients. There are also 116 covid-19 patients in Allegheny County intensive care units, with 11.9% of county ICU beds available.

Of the new cases, 285 are confirmed from 1,271 PCR tests, with 178 probables. New cases — 240 male and 223 female — range from 1 month to 99 years with a median age of 41. The positives are from tests dating Jan. 2-19, with 11 positives more than a week old. Here’s how the new cases break down:

• 0-4: 7
• 5-12: 23
• 13-18: 29
• 19-24: 59
• 25-49: 156
• 50-64: 112
• 65+: 77

The county’s seven-day average of new cases sits at 448, a drop from 676 last Wednesday and 887 a month ago on Dec. 20. The county’s seven-day total of new cases is at 3,138, down from 4,731 last Wednesday and down significantly from the 6,206 on Dec. 20.