Coronavirus cases in Pennsylvania continue to rise overall, while cases in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties remain cautiously steady according to the latest data available from the state.

Hospitalizations also continue to be a concern as the numbers rise.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health on Thursday reported 4,746 additional cases; the seven-day average of cases in state rose to 4,328, a 6.2% rise from last Thursday. This is a third day in a row that cases have been above 4,000.

Pennsylvania’s total number of cases stands at 1,059,044.

Allegheny County saw 379 new cases, with a seven-day average of cases of 421. The new coronavirus cases in the county range in age from 2 weeks to 100 years, with a median age of 33 years. The breakdown of the newly reported cases is 181 male and 198 female.

The additional coronavirus cases brings the Allegheny County’s total to 88,952 since the start of the pandemic last year.

While Thursday numbers are lower than the previous two days, Dr. Debra Bogen, Allegheny County Health Department director, speaking Wednesday warned that the county is “well into our fourth wave of cases here.”

Bogen mentioned higher daily covid-19 case counts and the increase in hospitalizations in the county as a concern.

“And we know the cause,” she said. “Large gatherings, combined with no physical distancing or masks, mixed with the variant viruses in our community. The next few months are the final push, and we must all exercise self-restraint. This is not the time to give up.”

In Westmoreland County, there were 130 new cases reported, bringing the seven-day average of cases to 124. The average in the county has been climbing since mid-March.

With the additional covid cases, the total number of cases in Westmoreland County stands at 30,135.

Hospitalizations

Covid-related hospitalizations continued to rise throughout the state.

The number of residents who are hospitalized for the virus is 2,451, up 26 from Wednesday, according to state data. This comes after 41 additional hospitalizations were added Wednesday, 137 on Tuesday and 45 on Monday.

In the state, there are currently 245 covid patients on ventilators and 517 in intensive care units.

Hospitalizations have risen since March 20 when there were 1,529 people in the hospital because of the coronavirus — an increase of 922. State hospitalizations reached a high point in December and after dropping, have crept up in recent weeks.

According to the state’s latest data, 288 Allegheny County residents are hospitalized for covid (up seven from Wednesday), 81 of them are in ICUs and 30 are on a ventilator.

In Westmoreland County, 41 covid patients are hospitalized with nine in the ICU and five on ventilators. (The state has not explained its data error that saw hospitalizations in the county suddenly drop from 117 on March 17 to 26 on March 18.)

Deaths

The state health department reported 42 additional deaths, as the state’s total grew to 25,327.

The Allegheny County Health Department added no new deaths to bring its total to 1,797. The state health department is reporting a total of 1,832 deaths for Allegheny County. The discrepancy in the number between the two health departments has not been explained.

Westmoreland County saw one additional covid-related death, which brings the total number in the county to 712.

Vaccinations

On Wednesday, Gov. Tom Wolf visited Bethlehem Baptist Church in McKeesport to speak about vaccine equity and the continued acceleration of the state’s vaccination rollout.

He said that Pennsylvanians who want to receive the covid-19 vaccine will be able to get at least one dose by the middle of May.

“We’re figuring that sometime toward the second week in May we should reach the point where we have reached with at least one dose … everybody who wants a shot,” Wolf said. “We could be right, or we could be wrong.”

According to state and county data, over 4.5 million people (35.5% of residents) have received at least one dose of a covid vaccine and over 2.4 million have been fully vaccinated (19.4% of residents).

Those numbers include both data from the Pennsylvania Department of Health and Philadelphia’s Department of Health, which keep separate records when it comes to vaccinations in the state.

The state reported that 470,247 of Allegheny County residents (38.4% of residents) had received at least one dose of a covid vaccine, while 248,475 individuals are fully covered (20.3% of residents).

In Westmoreland County 119,062 residents (32.6% of residents) had received at least one dose of a covid vaccine, and 65,494 individuals are fully covered (17.9% of residents).

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