Westmoreland County crosses 25,000 mark for covid cases

Westmoreland County on Thursday eclipsed the 25,000 mark for coronavirus cases, but the signs of a slowdown continue.

The county reported 70 additional cases of covid-19 and three additional deaths attributed to the virus, according to the latest data available from the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The county reported 25,068 cases of coronavirus and 617 deaths since the pandemic struck here in March.

The number of people requiring hospitalization because of the coronavirus also dropped or remained steady for the seventh consecutive day.

According to the state’s covid-19 dashboard, 139 people in the county are currently hospitalized with the virus, with 11 in an intensive care unit and seven requiring the use of a ventilator. That’s the fewest number of patients hospitalized with covid in the county since Dec. 12.

There are currently 90 adult ICU beds in the county, with 30 available. The county has 96 total ventilators, with 19 in use by patients suffering any ailment, according to the state health department.

Of the newly reported cases, 40 are confirmed from 199 standard covid PCR tests. There are 30 probable cases.

Health officials define a probable case as one in which a patient has a positive viral antigen test or covid symptoms with a “high-risk exposure” to someone who has been confirmed to have coronavirus.