Backlog of covid cases contributes to rise in Pennsylvania; Allegheny, Westmoreland also up

Pennsylvania on Friday saw an uptick in covid-19 cases, with similar rises reflected in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties. The increase comes as nearly half the state’s population has at least one dose of covid vaccine.

Cases

The state added 4,607 cases of covid-19, the most reported in a single day for nearly two weeks, according to data from the Pennsylvania Department of Health. That was enough to turn the seven-day case average (3,451) higher after it fell consistently for 11 straight days. The total is 1,151,005 cases since the start of the pandemic.

The additional cases include just under 300 tests from a lab that submitted results dating back to December, according to Maggi Barton, spokeswoman from the Department of Health. Another lab submitted about 700 test results that were collected within the past three days.

Of the newly reported cases, 3,451 are confirmed via PCR tests and 1,373 are listed as probable. 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.

Allegheny County on Friday recorded 366 additional cases of covid-19, the largest increase in the past six days and above the current seven-day average of 251 cases. The county has logged 97,250 covid cases to date. Of the new cases, 191 are confirmed. The new cases ranged in age from 9 months to 94 years, according to the county Health Department.

Westmoreland County added 167 new cases, the largest single-day jump in the county in more than two weeks. The seven-day average is 90 cases, staying below 100 for the fourth consecutive day. The county’s case total is 32,649 since the pandemic began.

Friday saw the total cases recorded globally cross the 150 million mark.

Deaths

Pennsylvania added 39 deaths attributed to covid-19, for a total of 26,218, according to the Department of Health. There were 280 deaths added in the past seven days, the lowest seven-day tally in nearly two weeks.

Of the 39 deaths newly reported Friday, 37 are from April, one is from December and one is from November.

Three covid-related deaths were reported in Allegheny County, for a total of 1,867. The number keeps the seven-day total at 14, the lowest it has been since April 8. Two of the deaths were associated with long-term care homes. One person was in their 70s and two were in their 80s, according the the county Health Department.

Westmoreland recorded two additional covid-related deaths, staying below four for 10 days in a row. The county has seen a total of 743 deaths related to the coronavirus.

Vaccinations

One third of Allegheny County residents are now fully vaccinated against covid-19 and 54% have at least one dose. That’s 663,103 people at least partially protected with 410,351 of those fully covered.

Westmoreland has 104,628 people (28.7%) fully vaccinated and 151,761 (41.6%) with at least one dose.

The state reports at least 3,420,864 people fully vaccinated. That number excludes Philadelphia, which tracks data independently.

Hospitalizations

The number of people hospitalized for covid-19 in the state continued its recent downward trend to 2,283 on Friday, according to Department of Health data. It’s the fewest covid patients in Pennsylvania hospitals since April 5. Of those patients, 518 are in intensive care units and 272 are using ventilators.

Allegheny County has 208 people in the hospital with covid and 72 of those are in the ICU and 37 are on respirators. A total of 6,734 people in the county have been hospitalized for covid.

In Westmoreland, there are 37 covid patients being treated in hospitals, with eight of them in ICUs and five using ventilators.