Westmoreland County adds 173 covid cases, 12 deaths
Westmoreland County had 173 coronavirus cases and 12 deaths added to its totals Wednesday.
The county now has 23,624 cases and 553 deaths, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
Of the newly reported cases, 93 are confirmed and 80 are probable.
The county’s seven-day average of new cases dropped to 159, the lowest in more than two months since an average of 156 (Nov. 16). The county’s seven-day total of 1,114 is also the lowest it’s been since Nov. 16, when the seven-day total sat at 1,092.
According to the state’s covid-19 dashboard, there are currently 153 coronavirus patients hospitalized in the county, up five from Tuesday’s 148. The county has 96 ventilators, with 22 in use, eight by covid-19 patients. There are 17 coronavirus patients in Westmoreland County ICUs, with 26.7% of county ICU beds available.
Westmoreland County’s 12 deaths marks the third time in the past eight days the county has reported double-digit deaths.
Overall, the county has seen 17,135 cases confirmed through 95,829 PCR tests, with 6,489 cases defined 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.
Mike Palm is a TribLive digital producer who also writes music reviews and features. A Westmoreland County native, he joined the Trib in 2001, where he spent years on the sports copy desk, including serving as night sports editor. He has been with the multimedia staff since 2013. He can be reached at mpalm@triblive.com.
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