12 more coronavirus deaths reported in Allegheny County after delay in data

Allegheny County reported 12 more deaths from the coronavirus Thursday, but officials stressed that the increase does not indicate a spike over the past 24 hours.

The 12 new reports, which bring the countywide total to 38 deaths, reflect a delay in the data being added to the county’s tracking system, officials said in a statement.

The 38 people who have died ranged in age from 56 to 103 years, with the most deaths — 22 — occurring in people over 70, county data show.

Allegheny County added 21 new cases Thursday, bringing the countywide total to 925 since March 14, when the first case was reported.

That compares to 11 new cases reported Wednesday, 17 new cases reported Tuesday, 19 reported Monday and 21 new cases reported Sunday.

Allegheny County Health Department Director Dr. Debra Bogen called those numbers “incredibly encouraging,” but said during a press briefing Wednesday that more testing is needed to know whether the virus is subsiding.

More than 10,000 people have been tested for the coronavirus in Allegheny County, but that amounts to less than 1 percent of residents, Bogen said.

Of the 925 cases, 162 people have been hospitalized at some point in recent weeks.

The county does not provide data on how many people have recovered or have been discharged.

At least 55 people have been admitted to an intensive care unit and 30 people have required a ventilator.

“Hospitalizations really are a good indicator of the overall severity of the pandemic,” Dr. LuAnn Brink, chief epidemiologist for the health department, said Wednesday.

Brink also noted that the positivity rate — how many tests come back positive each day — has been holding at around 10%.

“That’s been pretty steady, which indicates to me that there’s no rapid spread of the virus in the community,” Brink said.

Pennsylvania reported 60 additional deaths and 1,245 new cases Thrursday afternoon. The state’s death toll stands at 707, and there have been 27,735 cases since the first case was reported March 6.