Westmoreland County reports 273 new covid-19 cases, 4 deaths

The Pennsylvania Department of Health on Saturday reported 273 new cases of the coronavirus in Westmoreland County.

The county’s total cases are at 21,622, which is an increase of more than 1,800-cases from last week’s 19,806. The week before had a change of about 1,700 cases.

On Friday, a weekly high of 346 cases were reported, while a low of 127 were reported Sunday.

Four deaths were also reported, which increases the toll to 476. That’s 47 more than there were last week.

Sixteen fatalities were reported Wednesday, marking the daily high of reported covid-related deaths in the county since the virus first was reported in Pennsylvania in March. On Thursday, 14 deaths were reported.

Thus far into January, 53 deaths have been recorded. The county is on pace for 183 deaths.

In December, 224 deaths were reported. Westmoreland County didn’t reach that number from the time the virus was first reported there in March until Dec. 4.

Of the new covid-19 cases, 187 are confirmed and 86 are probable. 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.

The results come from a batch of 602 tests.

The positivity rate is 31%.

There are currently 146 covid-19 patients in hospital throughout the county, according to state numbers. Of that total, 18 are in an intensive care unit — 11 of whom are on ventilators.