Westmoreland County covid cases continue downward trend

With 368 new cases of covid-19 announced Thursday, Westmoreland County continues to bend the average downward.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health’s latest report shows the county is seeing 30% fewer new cases than a week ago. Over the past seven days, Westmoreland has registered 2,229 cases, as opposed to 3,176 cases it added over the previous seven days.

Despite the lower trend, this week’s triple-digit cases are far greater than those from recent months. The county is just 1,000 cases shy of doubling the total from November — the 2nd worst for the county in the pandemic.

Health officials added 10 mores covid-related deaths among county residents Thursday. To date, there have been 375 deaths in Westmoreland County, making it the 12th highest in terms of deaths.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health reports there are 172 Westmoreland County residents hospitalized for covid-19, with 22 of them in the intensive care unit and 12 on a ventilator.

The county’s seven-day average number of patients in the hospital increased 15% from 151 last week to 174 the past seven days. However, the number of hospitalizations went down for a second straight day, a possible sign of an improving situation.

Since the pandemic began, 17,774 Westmoreland County residents have been recorded as covid-19 cases, with 71,775 testing negative for the virus.