Pennsylvania's covid cases remain elevated

Pennsylvania on Friday reported more than 4,000 new cases of coronavirus — the seventh time in two weeks the state has eclipsed that threshold.

The state added 4,656 newly reported cases, raising the total case count to 1,033,406. The seven-day average, at 4,034, has been above 4,000 cases for the fourth consecutive day after staying below that mark since early February, according to data from the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

The state recorded 28 additional covid-related deaths, dropping the seven-day average (195) below 200 for the first time in eight days.

Of the deaths reported Friday, one is from April, 23 are from March, two are from February, one is from December and one is from November.

Pennsylvania has 2,173 people hospitalized for covid-19 — the third consecutive day that number has been above 2,000 after remaining below that number since Feb. 20, according to Health Department data.

The state reported that 1,708,338 people had the first of two vaccination doses and 1,924,837 people were fully vaccinated. These numbers exclude Philadelphia, which reports its data separately.

Allegheny County

Allegheny County on Friday reported 441 additional cases of covid-19, the most since it added 586 last Friday. The seven-day average is 377 cases, lower than the past four days but still higher than all of February and most of March, according to data from the Allegheny County Health Department. Of the new cases, 280 are confirmed via PCR tests.

The county has a total of 86,448 cases since the pandemic began more than a year ago, with 66,716 of those confirmed.

Six additional deaths were reported to the county, raising the total to 1,790 according to the county Health Department. The dates of the newly reported deaths ranged from Dec. 20 through March 29. Five of the deaths were from March and one was associated with a long-term care facility, the county reported. One person was in their 50s, one was in their 70s, and four were in their 90s.

Allegheny has 213,569 people with the first of two vaccine doses and 228,138 people fully vaccinated. A total of 441,707 people have at least one dose, so 36% of the county is considered at least partially covered and 18% is considered fully protected.

The county has 233 people hospitalized for covid-19, the most since Feb. 12. Sixty five of those are in intensive care units and 21 are using ventilators. A total of 5,795 people in the county have been hospitalized for covid-19.

Westmoreland County

Westmoreland County on Friday added 130 new cases of covid-19, the most since adding 166 last Friday. The seven-day average of new cases is 105, remaining in the triple digits for the fifth day in a row. The average had been below 100 since late January. Of the new cases, 70 were confirmed and 60 were listed as probable. 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.

The county has seen 29,395 covid-19 cases since the pandemic began.

There were no additional covid-related deaths reported Friday in the county. The total since the pandemic began is 706, according to the state Department of Health.

Westmoreland has 22 patients hospitalized for covid-19 with three of those in intensive care units and two using ventilators.

There are 52,300 people in the county with one of two vaccine doses and 59,243 people fully vaccinated. Thirty percent of Westmoreland residents have at least one vaccine dose and 16% are considered fully protected.