Pennsylvania reports 94 new coronavirus deaths, 4th straight day with under 1,000 new cases

Another 94 Pennsylvanians have died from the coronavirus, state health officials said Wednesday, pushing the statewide death toll above 3,100.

The state also added 888 new cases of covid-19 between 12 a.m. Tuesday to 12 a.m. Wednesday, officials said. The running state total is now 51,845 cases since the first were identified here two months ago on March 6.

It marked the fourth straight day with fewer than 1,000 new cases reported in the state.

The first two dozen Pennsylvania counties are set to see pandemic-related restrictions eased on Friday, including lifting the governor’s stay-at-home order and allowing retail businesses to reopen under social distancing guidelines.

Across the state, more than 204,000 people have tested negative for the virus.

The number of long-term care facilities with at least one case of the virus crested 500 on Wednesday, with 502 facilities reporting 10,010 cases, according to state data. Deaths among residents in care homes total 2,108, and there are 1,372 employees who have contracted the virus.

In Allegheny County, there are 311 covid-19 cases across 35 care facilities. There are another 99 cases among employees in those facilities, and 87 residents have died.

The county’s overall death toll sits at 111, with two new deaths being reported on Wednesday. The county has seen 1,394 cases since the first was identified here on March 14.

In Westmoreland County, there are 131 cases of the virus across nine nursing homes, state data shows. Thirty employees in those facilities have also contracted the virus. The county as a whole has seen 409 cases and 31 deaths since the first positive patient was diagnosed on April 5.

Beaver County’s overall death toll sits at 76, according to the state, and 69 of those deaths have come in three nursing homes. As of Wednesday, there were 471 cases diagnosed in the county.