The Allegheny County mean covid case falls to its lowest in the month

Allegheny County reported 340 more covid cases on Wednesday as the weekly numbers returned to lower averages.

The county’s seven-day average of new cases dropped from 491 on Tuesday to 351 on Wednesday. It’s the lowest seven-day average since 326 on March 25. For this month, the county counts an average of 436 covid cases per day.

Last week’s totals were skewed by a data dump from a Pittsburgh lab. Wednesday’s report included 1,321 cases after a lab with locations in Ross and Upper St. Clair reported three months of test results at one time.

Of the newly reported cases, 238 have been confirmed and 102 are likely, according to the Allegheny County Health Department. The county’s total number of cases grew to 94,841.

Westmoreland County added 137 covid cases – 72 confirmed and 65 probable – with a total increase to 31,830.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 4,602 additional cases, with a total increasing to 1,118,470. In the state, Philadelphia had the most cases added Wednesday with 747, followed by Allegheny (340), Bucks (284), Montgomery (240) and Delaware (232).

Here’s a look at other counties in the region, with their changes starting Tuesday:

• Armstrong: 5567 (+23)
• Beaver: 14,335 (+37)
• Butler: 16,387 (+49)
• Fayette: 12,124 (+49)
• Indiana: 5783 (+23)
• Somerset: 7,334 (+18)
• Washington: 16,490 (+72)

Deaths

Of the 60 deaths newly reported to the state on Wednesday, 57 are from April and three from March.

The Allegheny County Health Department reported an additional 12 deaths to bring the total to 1,849. Of those deaths, one was from December and April 11, with ages ranging from one person in their 50s, one in their 60s, five in their 70s, three in their 80s, and two in their 90s.

The state health service reported another death in Allegheny County to bring the total to 1,879. The discrepancy between the reporting methods of the two health departments has not been fully explained.

Westmoreland County saw three additional deaths, with an aggregate growth to 731. Here’s how those Westmoreland County deaths are breaking up month by month since the start of the pandemic:

• March 2020: 0
• April 2020: 34
• May 2020: 4
• June 2020: 1
• July 2020: 7
• August 2020: 5
• September 2020: 6
• October 2020: 60
• November 2020: 133
• December 2020: 234
• January: 151
• February: 49
• March: 26
• April: 21

Fayette County added three, while Beaver, Butler, and Washington had one each.

Long-term care facilities and nursing homes have caused 13,054 covid deaths, which is more than 50% of the state’s total. Montgomery County has the most with 1091, followed by Allegheny (1023), Delaware (837), Philadelphia (836), and Bucks (692).

Hospital admissions

Covid hospital admissions in the state hit their all-time high in more than two months on Wednesday, at 2,842. It is the highest daily total since 2,890 were hospitalized on February 9. It’s also nearly double the state’s lowest point, when only 1,433 covid patients were hospitalized on March 14.

Covid hospital admissions in Allegheny County increased by nine to 290, with 82 people in ICUs and 40 needing respiratory equipment. The 290 patients are the second highest total for the past month – there were 299 on April 13. The province hit its nadir on March 16 when only 135 covid patients were hospitalized, but the number has been rising steadily over the past month. .

The covid hospital admissions in Westmoreland County numbered one to 60, with 16 patients in the ICU and nine requiring ventilation equipment. Hospital admissions from Covid in the county are difficult to compare due to a data error from the state health department. Hospital admissions in the county have inexplicably dropped from 117 on March 17 to 26 on March 18, and the state has yet to explain what happened.

Vaccinations

According to state health agency data, nearly 25% of Westmoreland County is fully vaccinated. The state reports that 88,931 residents of the county have been fully vaccinated (24.4%), with another 50,094 having received their first injection.

In Allegheny County, 27.4% of the population (335,163) is fully vaccinated, with 230,355 partially vaccinated.

Statewide, 2,886,162 people are fully vaccinated and 1,907,425 are partially vaccinated. Those totals do not include people who received a vaccination from a clinic in Philadelphia, a federal facility, or another state.