Westmoreland County surpasses 15K coronavirus cases

Westmoreland County became the state’s 11th county to reach 15,000 coronavirus cases on Wednesday.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 346 new cases, bringing the county’s total to 15,148. Of those new cases, 210 are confirmed and 136 are probable.

In the past month, coronavirus cases in Westmoreland County have grown by 141.7%. There were 6,266 positive cases on Nov. 16.

According to the state’s covid-19 dashboard, there are currently 166 coronavirus patients hospitalized in the county, an increase of two from Tuesday’s 164. The county has 99 ventilators, with 31 in use, 21 by covid-19 patients. There are 21 coronavirus patients in Westmoreland County ICUs at the moment.

The department also reported 13 new deaths, with the county’s total growing to 317. That’s the 12th highest county in the state:

• Philadelphia: 2,254
• Montgomery: 1,025
• Delaware: 864
• Bucks: 811
• Allegheny: 741
• Lancaster: 628
• Berks: 502
• Chester: 444
• Lehigh: 434
• Luzerne: 389
• Northampton: 370
• Westmoreland: 317

The most cases — confirmed and probable — have been recorded in the eastern half of the state, with the exception of Allegheny and Westmoreland counties:

• Philadelphia: 78,231
• Allegheny: 43,007
• Montgomery: 29,656
• Delaware: 25,218
• Bucks: 25,183
• Lancaster: 23,025
• Berks: 19,047
• York: 18,232
• Chester: 16,696
• Lehigh: 16,105
• Westmoreland: 15,148

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.