Allegheny and Westmoreland counties, as well as Pennsylvania, all reported new cases of coronavirus above their seven-day averages on Wednesday.
Allegheny added 285 cases, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, 38 more than its seven-day average of 247. Westmoreland’s 73 additional cases are above the 65 average, while Wednesday’s Pennsylvania addition of 3,004 cases was 434 above the average of 2,570.
The new cases raised the Allegheny total to 80,645, while Westmoreland increased it to 27,824 and Pennsylvania to 973,721.
Philadelphia had the most recently reported cases with 371, followed by Allegheny, Bucks (196), Montgomery (176) and Lancaster (153).
Allegheny has the highest total of greedy cases among residents of nursing homes and personal care, with 5,495 in its 161 facilities. It is also the highest in the state in cases among employees of these facilities, at 2,170. (Delaware is the second largest, with 890 cases among employees.)
Westmoreland ranks 10th among resident cases with 2,090 and 12th among employees with 321.
Deaths
Pennsylvania reported 37 additional deaths, increasing its total to 24,689. Of those 37 deaths reported on Wednesday, 33 are from March, two from February and two from December.
The death toll in Allegheny County as of Wednesday increased from six to 1,738, according to the county health department. Deaths ranged from February 20 to March 9, with one person in their 60s, two in their 80s and three in their 90s.
The state added four more deaths to the total for Allegheny County, which now stands at 1,774. The discrepancy between the two health departments was attributed to different reporting methods.
Westmoreland County totaled two deaths for a total of 691. That total is the 12th largest in the state. Philadelphia registered the maximum, with 3,220, followed by Allegheny (1,774), Montgomery (1,585), Delaware (1,268) and Bucks (1,160), according to the state health department.
Beaver County added two deaths, while Armstrong and Fayette saw one more each.
According to state data, Allegheny County has 991 deaths associated with nursing homes and personal care, up three from Tuesday. The Westmoreland County total grew by four to 288.
Deaths in the state have been on a downward trend since they peaked at 6,357 in November. This increase was followed by 4,667 in January, 1,796 in February and 371 so far in March. These numbers are likely to change slightly as data continues to reach the health department from across the state.
Hospitalizations
Pennsylvania’s 19 hospitalizations increased for the third consecutive day, adding 11 on Wednesday to bring the total to 1,500. The state hit a four-month low on Sunday, when there were only 1,433 greedy patients in the hospital. Still, it is a far cry from the state peak of 6,346 on December 16. The state has 153 greedy patients on ventilators and 284 in the ICU.
Allegheny County added 12 more hospitalizations, with the total growing to 147. There are 15 greedy patients on ventilators, with 38 in the ICU.
Westmoreland County also saw an additional ambitious hospitalization to increase its total to 117, with four patients in the ICU and two on ventilators.
Vaccines
More than 12% of Allegheny County residents (151,267) are fully vaccinated, according to data from the state health department. Another 170,209 are partially vaccinated in the municipality.
Westmoreland County is 10.95% fully vaccinated (39,974), with 42,493 partially vaccinated.
In Pennsylvania, more than 1.5 million people, or 11.85% of the state, are fully vaccinated.
Acting health secretary Alison Beam issued an order on Monday saying vaccine providers across the state should have all consultations for people in Phase 1A scheduled for the end of March. Phase 1A includes healthcare professionals, long-term care residents, anyone over 65 and those aged 16 to 64 with certain health conditions.
Mike Palm is a digital producer for Tribune-Review. You can contact Mike at 412-380-5674 or [email protected].
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