13 new covid deaths reported in Allegheny County, but cases continue downward trend

The number of new coronavirus cases reported in Allegheny County continues to fall despite 13 additional deaths being reported, according to the latest information provided by the state and county health departments.

Allegheny County on Friday announced 343 additional cases of coronavirus and 13 newly reported deaths. The number of new cases is half as many as was reported just 10 days ago.

The newly reported deaths span from Dec. 4 to Wednesday, according to the county. There were seven deaths from December. Five of the deaths were people in their 70s, four in their 80s and four in their 90s. Eight deaths were associated with long-term care facilities.

The number of deaths reported each day has varied greatly over the past week. On Thursday, four additional deaths were reported. But on Wednesday, 20 new deaths were announced. The day before that, no deaths were reported.

The number of people hospitalized in the county with covid-19 also continues to fall. According to the state’s covid-19 dashboard, 361 people in the county are currently hospitalized with the virus, with 107 in an intensive care unit and 50 requiring the use of a ventilator. That’s down from Thursday, when 368 people were reportedly hospitalized, with 116 in an ICU and 57 on ventilators.

There are currently 551 adult ICU beds in the county, with 86 available. The county has 1,165 total ventilators, with 325 in use by patients suffering any ailment.

Of the newly reported covid cases, 295 were confirmed through 1,564 PCR tests, and 48 were probable. The dates of positive tests ranged from Jan. 11 through Thursday. Five positive tests are more than a week old.

The state Department of Health defines a probable case as one in which a patient has “a positive serology (antibody) test and either covid-19 symptoms or a high-risk exposure” to someone who has been confirmed to have coronavirus.

The new cases range in age from 5 months to 101 years old, with a median age of 40. The age groups of the newly reported cases — 175 female and 168 male — are:

• 0-4: 10

• 5-12: 12

• 13-18: 22

• 19-24: 41

• 25-49: 132

• 50-64: 71

• 65 and older: 55

Since March, when the coronavirus was first reported in Western Pennsylvania, there have been 66,345 cases in Allegheny County, 3,866 hospitalizations there and 1,262 deaths in the county.