Covid hospitalizations in Allegheny County fall while cases tick upward

The number of newly reported coronavirus cases in Allegheny County ticked upward Saturday, while the number of covid-19 patients hospitalized in the county fell, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

The county reported 464 additional cases of the coronavirus — up from 343 a day earlier. But the seven-day average of cases continued to drop, to 418, the lowest that figure has sat since Nov. 17.

One additional death was reported — a person in their 40s who died Thursday, the county’s health department announced.

According to the state’s covid-19 dashboard, 353 people in the county are currently hospitalized with the virus, with 109 in an intensive care unit and 47 requiring the use of a ventilator.

There are currently 545 adult ICU beds in the county, with 80 available. The county has 1,165 total ventilators, with 315 in use by patients suffering any ailment, according to the state health department.

Of the newly reported cases, 302 are confirmed from 1,414 standard covid tests. There are 162 probable cases.

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 3 months to 97 years old, with a median age of 42. The age groups of the newly reported cases — 252 female and 212 male — are:

• 0-4: 10

• 5-12: 22

• 13-18: 23

• 19-24: 42

• 25-49: 179

• 50-64: 98

• 65 and older: 90

Since March, when the coronavirus was first reported in Western Pennsylvania, there have been 66,809 covid cases in Allegheny County, 3,878 hospitalizations there and 1,263 deaths in the county.