110 new coronavirus cases reported in Allegheny County, 1 death

Allegheny County health officials reported 110 new cases of covid-19 Wednesday, along with four hospitalizations and one death.

Wednesday’s update brings the county to 2,870 total cases of the virus, 397 hospitalizations and 187 deaths. There have been around 56,000 tests administered in the county since the start of the pandemic.

In the newest cases, ages range from 4 months old to 85 years old, health officials said, with the median age being 29.

The county has experienced a spike in positive cases. Tuesday’s daily total of 109 cases had been the highest single-day jump the county had seen during the pandemic. But some health experts said the tally does not show the full story.

Hospitalizations and deaths are a better way of understanding the state of the pandemic in the area, said Dr. Amesh Adalja, a Pittsburgh-based infectious disease and critical care physician. Additionally, Adalja said people should take notice of the percentage of tests that come back positive each day, compared to the total amount of tests given. More than 5% of tests have come back positive for several days running.

County health officials said over the weekend that hospitalizations and deaths could rise in the coming weeks. Those figures typically lag behind confirmed case counts, as it takes time for infected individuals to become sick enough to hospitalize.

Dr. Donald Yealy, UPMC’s chair of emergency medicine, said Tuesday that it’s impossible to make a concrete prediction, but hospitals are always preparing for the worst.

Allegheny County Health Director Dr. Debra Bogen will give a briefing with more information at 4 p.m. Wednesday.