Allegheny County reports 38 new coronavirus cases, adjusts death total

The Allegheny County Health Department reported 38 additional cases of the coronavirus Wednesday, bringing the countywide total to 1,273.

That’s compared to 13 confirmed or probable cases reported Sunday, 13 reported Monday and 11 reported Tuesday.

Of those cases, 1,229 are confirmed and 44 are listed as probable.

A case is listed as probable when a person displays symptoms of covid-19 and has had close contact with a confirmed positive case, but has not had a test themselves. The county health department is including those probable cases to assess community spread.

The health department also reported a decrease in deaths from the coronavirus, adjusting the number from 87 total deaths countywide to 86.

Data was incorrectly entered into the reporting system and corrected upon review, officials said in a statement.

Of the total 86 deaths, 76 are listed as confirmed cases of covid-19, while 10 are considered probable.

The youngest person to have died from the virus in Allegheny County was 42 and had underlying conditions, health department officials said.

More than 16,000 people have been tested for the coronavirus in Allegheny County.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 119 new deaths statewide Tuesday. That brought the confirmed total to 1,716. There have now been 43,264 cases of covid-19 since the state saw its first two positive tests on March 6.

There are at least 24 Allegheny County Jail inmates who have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to data posted by the jail Tuesday.

That number has more than doubled since Sunday, when county officials reported that eight inmates had tested positive.

At least three jail employees have also tested positive.

Additional tests for both inmates and staff members are pending.

At the Allegheny County Treatment Alternative facility, 11 residents and three staff members have tested positive for covid-19, data show.

The 50-bed male facility in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood provides inpatient drug and alcohol treatment, case management, employment and family services. It’s operated by The Program for Offenders, a nonprofit that provides residential alternatives to incarceration for nonviolent offenders.

No coronavirus cases have been reported among residents or staff at the West Homestead Center, a 56-bed female facility in West Homestead, or the Renewal facility.