Westmoreland County 2-day report has 516 new coronavirus cases, 8 deaths

Westmoreland County on Friday reported 516 new cases of covid-19 in two days and eight new deaths. The county added 253 cases Thursday and another 263 on Friday.

Those cases came after the county reported a record high number of new cases (273) on Wednesday. The seven-day average is now 225 cases while the seven-day case total is 1,578. Both of those are the highest Westmoreland has seen since the pandemic reached the county in March.

The county added seven new covid-related deaths Thursday and one on Friday.

Of the latest 263 cases reported, 254 are confirmed. The daily PCR positivity rate has jumped to 36.65% and the county’s overall PCR positivity is at a high of 9.85%.

The county has had a total of 8,675 cases since March, with 6,837 of those confirmed and 1,838 listed as probable, according to the state Department of Health. A total of 62,546 people have reported negative PCR tests results.

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.

Westmoreland has 89 patients hospitalized for covid-19 with 13 of those in intensive care units. Of the 89 ventilators in the county, 17 are in use with eight of those used by covid patients.