Allegheny, Westmoreland report highest daily covid totals in more than 2 months

Allegheny and Westmoreland counties on Friday saw their highest totals of newly reported covid cases in more than two months.

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Allegheny reported 586 additional coronavirus cases, its highest since 670 on Jan. 13. Westmoreland’s total of 166 is its most since 173 on Jan. 20.

All told, Allegheny’s total now stands at 83,811 since the first cases were reported last March. Of the new cases, 393 are confirmed and 193 are probable. The 586 additional cases are substantially higher than the county’s seven-day average of 361.

The additional cases — 316 female and 270 male — ranged from 6 months to 92 years with a median age of 35.

In Westmoreland, the county’s total rose to 28,660, with 75 confirmed and 91 probable cases. Westmoreland’s seven-day average of new cases is 92, with Friday’s cases putting the county 74 above average.

Dr. Amesh Adalja, a Pittsburgh-based infectious disease expert, attributed the rise to increased social interaction.

”People are going about their lives, and, as part of that, there is inherent risk of the virus spreading,” said Adalja, a senior scholar at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.

The warmer weather, he said, may be enticing people to gather more than they had been in cooler months.

“People are more likely to socially interact when the weather is nicer,” he said.

But, Adalja said, it’s important to remember that case counts aren’t the only metric that matters.

“I think, eventually, we’re going to have to stop focusing exclusively on cases and look more at hospitalizations,” he said. “The cases will never go to zero. What will happen is it will no longer be a public health emergency when the virus is tamed by vaccines.”

Pennsylvania as a whole saw 4,927 additional cases, its highest since 5,191 on Jan. 30. The state’s total, which surpassed 1 million cases on Thursday, climbed to 1,005,167.

In the state, Allegheny County had the most newly reported covid cases with 586, followed by Philadelphia (543), Bucks (343), Montgomery (252) and York (246).

In the region, Allegheny (586) and Westmoreland (166) were followed by Washington (98), Butler (74), Beaver (64), Fayette (42), Indiana (19), Armstrong (11) and Somerset (8). Washington’s total was its highest since 104 on Jan. 29.

“Even as more and more Pennsylvanians are vaccinated, we must not forget to follow the mitigation measures still in place,” said Maggi Barton, a state health department spokeswoman. “Our vaccination efforts have been ramping up as more and more vaccine becomes available.

“The warmer weather brings with it opportunities to be outdoors, but we must still unite against covid-19 by wearing a mask, practicing social distancing and washing your hands frequently until the virus is no longer a threat in our communities.”

Vaccination

Data from the state health department shows there have been 1,660,232 people fully vaccinated in the state, with another 1,519,321 partially vaccinated. Those numbers don’t include Philadelphia, which tracks its totals separately and updates its totals in the afternoon.

Allegheny County shows 190,146 fully vaccinated and 202,451 partially vaccinated, while Westmoreland is at 49,483 fully and 50,639 partially.

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, through Friday morning, 104,331 teachers, school staff and contractors had received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine via the state’s special initiative.

Hospitalizations

Covid hospitalizations rose throughout the state for the sixth straight day, climbing from 1,529 on Saturday to 1,772 on Friday. The state currently has 372 covid patients in ICUs and 203 on ventilators.

Allegheny County saw a rise of 23 hospitalizations from Thursday, going from 167 to 190. There are 47 patients in county ICUs and 20 on ventilators.

Westmoreland County’s covid hospitalizations dropped to 21. The state has yet to explain its data error that saw hospitalizations in the county suddenly drop from 117 on March 17 to 26 on March 18.

Deaths

Of the 36 deaths newly reported Friday, 34 are from March, one is from February and one is from January. The state’s total climbed to 24,953.

The Allegheny County Health Department added nine deaths to bring its total to 1,759. The deaths ranged from March 4-21, with one associated with a long-term care facility. One person was in their 40s, four in their 60s, one in their 70s, two in their 80s and one in their 90s.

Meanwhile, the state health department cited four new deaths in Allegheny County, raising its total to 1,797. The discrepancy between the two health departments has been attributed to different reporting methods.

In the region, Butler, Somerset and Westmoreland accounted for one death apiece. Westmoreland’s total grew to 702, 12th highest in the state.