Covid cases in Pennsylvania, Allegheny and Westmoreland counties continue to slow

Covid cases in Pennsylvania, as well as Allegheny and Westmoreland counties, have continued to slow.

The Allegheny County Health Department reported 142 additional cases — 126 confirmed and 16 probable — on Thursday, with the county’s total reaching 99,709.

The seven-day average of cases was 168, a 28.5% drop from last Thursday. For May, the county has averaged 189 cases per day. April saw an average of 386 cases per day, while March (291), February (261) and January (502) were also higher than this month.

Dr. Debra Bogen, the Allegheny County Health Department director, in her weekly press briefing on Wednesday acknowledged that the county’s daily average of new cases has dropped, but said the county won’t be “out of the woods” until the vast majority of people are vaccinated.

“We, here in Allegheny County and all of Pennsylvania, are moving into a new phase of the pandemic,” Bogen said, reflecting on the various waves in infections and public health restrictions the county has endured the past 14 months.

The new coronavirus cases in Allegheny County — 66 male and 76 female — range in age from four months to 83 years with a median age of 32 years.

Westmoreland County on Thursday saw an additional 36 cases — 28 confirmed and eight probable. The county’s overall total stands at 33,507.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 2,028 additional cases in the state, with its total increasing to 1,181,279. The seven-day average of cases was 2,084, a 28.1% drop from last Thursday.

In the state, Philadelphia had the most cases added Thursday with 308. Allegheny’s 142 cases were the next highest in the state.

Vaccinations

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 37.3% of all Pennsylvanians (4.77 million) are considered fully vaccinated and 53.3% (6.8 million) have at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine.

Among adults 18 and older, there are 46.7% (4.7 million) who are considered fully vaccinated. Pennsylvania’s mask mandate can be lifted when 70% of the state’s adults are fully vaccinated.

In Allegheny County 700,081 residents (57.2% of all residents) have received at least one dose of a covid vaccine, while 490,681 individuals are fully covered (40.1% of all residents).

Bogen and Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald on Wednesday repeated pleas that residents get vaccinated and continue wearing masks in public.

“Let’s not merely dream about returning to normalcy,” Bogen said. “Let’s make it a reality.”

In Westmoreland County, the state reported that 160,036 of county residents (43.8% of residents) had received at least one dose of a covid vaccine, while 122,607 individuals are fully covered (33.5% of residents).

Hospitalizations

Covid-related hospitalizations statewide and in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties have steadily fallen this month.

The number of residents who are hospitalized statewide for the virus is 1,652, down 60 from Wednesday, according to state data, with 390 covid patients in the ICU and 240 on ventilators.

There were 2,207 people hospitalized for covid on May 1. Hospitalizations in the state have been down every day except for one this month.

In Allegheny County, according to the state’s data, 138 residents are hospitalized for covid (down 16 from Wednesday), 44 of them are in intensive care units and 25 of them are on a ventilator.

Hospitalizations in the county have been trending downward this month. There were 201 people hospitalizations on May 1 and while there have been a few days with additions, the number has mostly fallen each day.

In Westmoreland County, 23 covid patients (up one from Wednesday) are hospitalized with four in the ICU and none on a ventilator. Hospitalizations in Westmoreland have been in the 20s for the past week.

Deaths

The state health department reported 38 additional deaths, as the state’s total grew to 26,697. Of the newly reported deaths, 34 are from May, three are from April and one is from December.

The Allegheny County Health Department on Thursday reported no new deaths. The death total stands at 1,912, according to the county.

The state health department has a total of 1,934 deaths for Allegheny County. No reason has been given for the discrepancy between the two health departments.

Westmoreland County saw two additional covid-related deaths; the total number of covid deaths in the county stands at 752.