Westmoreland County adds 258 new covid cases, 7 deaths
Westmoreland County reported 258 additional coronavirus cases over the past two days, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
The state reported 167 cases on Sunday in Westmoreland County and 91 on Monday to bring the county’s total to 18,389. Of the newly reported cases, 242 are confirmed and 16 are probable. The results came from 604 tests, putting the PCR positivity rate for those two days at 40.1%.
The county also added seven additional deaths — three on Sunday and four on Monday — as the total grew to 387.
According to the state’s covid-19 dashboard, there are currently 183 coronavirus patients hospitalized in the county, up 10 from Sunday. The county has 100 ventilators, with 29 in use, 16 by covid-19 patients. There are 21 coronavirus patients in Westmoreland County ICUs, with 26.7% of county ICU beds available.
The county’s seven-day average of new cases dropped to 230, which puts it less than half of the peak reached Dec. 16 when the average was 469. The county’s seven-day total was 1,612, also less than half of the peak 3,284 on Dec. 16.
All told in the county, there have been 72,775 negative test results, 14,054 confirmed results and 4,335 probable cases. 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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