Pennsylvania reports 60 more coronavirus deaths as total hits 584

Sixty more people across Pennsylvania died from the coronavirus, state health officials said Tuesday.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health said 1,146 new cases of covid-19 were reported Monday, bringing the state’s running tally to 25,345.

There were 1,366 new cases reported Monday and 1,178 on Sunday.

The death toll now stands at 584, though Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine reiterated that Tuesday’s numbers often contain data from over the weekend that did not make it into Monday’s report.

Gov. Tom Wolf, during a conference call with reporters, responded to complaints from rural residents who say that because their counties have so few cases, they should not be under the same restrictions as Philadelphia and other areas with outbreaks.

“There was a point when nobody was sick in Philadelphia or the collar counties,” he said. “We’re trying to keep the rest of the state from feeling this (virus) the same way.”

He said the low case count in rural areas might not be despite social distancing and the stay-at-home order but rather the result of them.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution, Wolf said, but residents need to avoid the mindset of “it’s not going to affect me, not going to affect my family, not going to affect my neighborhood, my county.”

“Let’s get it over with. Let’s make sure we stamp this out to the extent we can and move on,” Wolf said.

Five counties in Western Pennsylvania saw no increase in cases: Armstrong at 28, Butler at 143, Greene at 23, Indiana at 43 and Somerset at 13. Armstrong has reported one death, Butler five and Fayette three.

Levine said the department is trying to get a better picture of who the virus is affecting, but key demographic information is being left off reports that health care providers must submit to the state for each positive covid-19 test.

“Unfortunately what we are finding is data like race and ethnicity is missing for more than 60% of reports,” she said, noting that such information is required to be submitted with other demographic data.

More than 108,000 people have tested negative for the virus.

Washington County reported its first death Tuesday. The county’s running case total is 70.

Allegheny County reported three more deaths for a total of 24. The Westmoreland County coroner is reporting 15 deaths across the county, up three from the previous day. The state continues to report six deaths in Westmoreland.

Department of Health officials have said they were unaware of the discrepancy.

A week ago, on April 7, the number of positive cases stood at 14,559 and deaths totaled 240. The number of new cases reported that day was 1,579.

Age breakdown of positive cases:

0-4: ​< 1%

​5-12: ​< 1%

​13-18: ​1%

​19-24: 7%

​25-49: 40%

​50-64: ​29%

​65+: ​22%

Age breakdown of hospitalizations:

0-4: ​< 1%

​5-12: ​< 1%

​13-18: ​< 1%

​19-24: 1%

​25-49: 19%

​50-64: ​29%

​65+: ​51%