Allegheny County reports 12 more coronavirus deaths, including 42-year-old

Allegheny County reported 12 new deaths from the coronavirus Tuesday, including one person who was 42 years old, the youngest person to have died from the virus in the county so far.

This brings the countywide total to 67 deaths.

Of that total, 55 people were confirmed to have covid-19 with a positive test, and 12 probable deaths related to the coronavirus.

In those cases, covid-19 is listed on the death certificate, but the person never had a positive test for the virus, county health department officials said in a statement.

Most of the 67 people who have died — 56 people, or 84% — were 70 or older, according to county data.

The county also reported 17 new confirmed or probable cases of the coronavirus Tuesday, bringing the total to 1,059 since March 14, when the first case was reported in the county.

That compares to seven new cases reported Monday, 26 cases reported Sunday, 62 cases reported Saturday and 22 cases reported Friday.

“A case is probable when the person displays symptoms of covid-19 and has had close contact with a confirmed positive case but has not had a test themselves,” county health department officials said in a statement. “We are including probable cases to better assess the level of community spread.”

More than 12,000 people have been tested for the coronavirus in Allegheny County.

There have been 188 people hospitalized in recent weeks. Of those, 76 have been admitted to an ICU unit and 46 have required the use of a ventilator or breathing machine, the county reported.

There were 1,296 new cases of covid-19 statewide and 360 more deaths reported Tuesday by the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

The statewide death toll now stands at 1,564.