Westmoreland County adds 327 new coronavirus cases
Westmoreland County added 327 new coronavirus cases Wednesday, the 44th straight day of triple-digit new cases.
The new cases bring the county’s total to 17,406, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Of those new cases, 270 are confirmed and 57 are probable. The PCR test positivity rate of the latest cases was 42.86%.
The county has averaged 323 new cases per day over the past week, with a seven-day total of 2,258.
The county also added seven new deaths, raising that total to 365. State data puts the county’s adjusted death rate per 100,000 residents at 104.1.
According to the state’s covid-19 dashboard, there are currently 176 coronavirus patients hospitalized in the county, a decline of two from Tuesday’s 178. The county has 100 ventilators, with 27 in use, 12 by covid-19 patients. There are 21 coronavirus patients in Westmoreland County ICUs at the moment, with 21.1% of county ICU beds available.
In December alone, Westmoreland County has seen 8,145 new cases, accounting for 46.8% of the county’s total cases. Since March, there have been 71,531 negative test results in the county.
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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