Allegheny County sees most new coronavirus cases in state

Allegheny County saw the highest total of new coronavirus cases in the state Wednesday.

The Allegheny County Health Department reported 1,074 new cases, bringing the county’s total to 43,007. Allegheny County was followed by Philadelphia (807), Luzerne (485), Montgomery (422) and York (421).

Of the new cases, 761 were confirmed from 2,313 new PCR tests, with 313 probable cases. The new cases — 579 female and 495 male — range in age from 1 week to 100 years, with a median age of 46. The test results are from Dec. 4-15, with 29 positive tests more than a week old, according to the health department. Here’s how the new cases broke down by age:

• 0-4: 4
• 5-12: 31
• 13-18: 48
• 19-24: 90
• 25-49: 402
• 50-64: 277
• 65+: 222

The county also added 13 deaths, with dates of death from Dec. 1-14, bringing the county’s total to 688. Five of the deaths were people in their 70s, four in their 80s, three in their 90s and one was more than 100. Seven of the deaths are associated with long-term care facilities. The Pennsylvania Department of Health added 24 deaths in Allegheny County on Wednesday, bringing its total to 741. The discrepancy has been attributed to different reporting methods between the two health departments.

According to the state’s covid-19 dashboard, there are currently 881 coronavirus patients hospitalized in the county, a rise of 29 from Tuesday’s 852. The county has 769 ventilators, with 354 in use, but 129 by covid-19 patients. There are also 222 covid-19 patients in Allegheny County ICUs, with just 14.9% of county ICU beds available.

In the past month, Allegheny County’s case total has grown by 109.5%, rising from 20,526 on Nov. 16 to 43,007 on Dec. 16.

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.