The latest covid-19 spike that health officials have warned about appears to be arriving in Pennsylvania.
On Saturday, the state posted 4,213 new cases, the highest one-day count since February 7 (4,717). During the past week, the seven days averaged new cases (2 888) increased by more than 16%.
Cases have not increased so rapidly since the beginning of January.
After the state averaged about 2,400 new cases daily on average during the first 15 days of March, the state averaged nearly 3,400 cases a day over the past five.
The cases in the state declined after a rough December and early January. On January 11, the state averaged about 8,700 new cases per day. On February 25, the average dropped to about 2400 – a decrease of 72%.
However, the steep decline then stopped and hovered at the same level (2,400) until a few days ago.
Statewide
Of the latest 4,213 new cases in the state, 2,848 cases were confirmed by PCR tests, while 1,365 were listed as likely. Health officials define a probable case as a case in which a patient has a positive viral antigen test or coviate symptoms with a ‘high risk’ exposure ‘to someone who has been confirmed to have coronavirus.
The province of Philadelphia led the new case number by 472. It was followed by Allegheny (368), Bucks (358), Montgomery (332) and Berks (316).
Other Provinces of Western Pennsylvania reporting: Westmoreland (81), Washington (60), Butler (39), Fayette (31), Beaver (25), Lawrence (14), Armstrong (10), Indiana (9) and Greene (5).
33 new covid deaths were reported on Saturday, including 29 in March, one in February, two in January and one in December.
To date, 24,774 Pennsylvania residents have died as a result of covid-19.
While the cases are strong, the death toll is still declining. Covid deaths over a seven-day period in Pennsylvania have dropped by 51% since March 1 – from 412 to 201. Since the beginning of the year, the number has dropped by 85% – from 1,357 to 201.
The state’s OpenDataPA portal reports 1,529 Pennsylvania residents currently hospitalized with covid-19. Of these, 318 are in guard units and 189 in fans.
In Pennsylvania, 1 638 137 inhabitants fully vaccinated – either with both joint shots from the Pfizer or Moderna or with the one-shot vaccine Johnson & Johnson. This is almost 13% of the state’s population. There are 3,363,267 residents with at least one shot, which is 26.5% of the state.
Since the pandemic began a year ago, the state has seen it 984,515 cases of the virus, with 841,294 confirmed by PCR tests.
Allegheny county
Health officials in Allegheny County reported 368 new cases on Saturday. Of these, 272 were confirmed, while 96 were listed as likely.
New cases ranged in age from 11 months to 93, with a mean age of 34.
The recent increase in the state is also evident in Allegheny County, where the seven-day average of new cases rose by 25% from March 8, when it was 215 cases per day. The current level of 268 cases per day is back to where the country was on March 1st. However, the number is still down sharply – 54% – from 1 January, when it was 579.
The University of Pittsburgh reported an 83% increase in new cases last Saturday, saying four of its campuses have a “guarded risk attitude”.
Officials reported four new deaths related to covid, one of which occurred in January. One deaths were related to a long-term care facility. Three of the deaths were people in their 70s; one was in their 90s.
The age distribution of the latest cases in Allegheny County – 198 women, 170 men – is:
- Ages 0-4: 14
- Ages 5-12: 26
- Ages 13-18: 35
- Ages 19-24: 46
- Ages 25-49: 136
- Ages 50-64: 80
- 65 and older: 31
On the vaccination front, 169,165 were completely vaccinated – either with both joint shots from the Pfizer or Moderna or the one-shot vaccine Johnson & Johnson – in the country. This is almost 14% of the country’s total population. There are 346,123 residents with at least one shot – more than 28% of the population.
The state’s OpenDataPA portal reports that 154 residents of Allegheny County have been hospitalized for covid-19. Of these, 39 are in intensive care units and 21 in ventilators.
Since the pandemic began, there have been 81,655 cases of covid-19 in the country, with 63,325 confirmed by PCR tests.
Westmoreland county
In Westmoreland, 81 new cases of covid have been reported. Of these, 48 were confirmed by PCR tests, while 33 were listed as probable.
The increase in the state is also seen in Westmoreland County. The seven-day average case of seven days in the country stands at 75, which is 36% more than just twelve days ago (55) and 12% higher than March 1 (67), but still 64% lower than January 1 (209).
A new covid death was reported in Westmoreland County on Saturday, bringing the total to 696.
According to the state’s OpenDataPA portal, there are currently 26 residents of Westmoreland County who have been hospitalized for covid-19.
The number is three higher than yesterday; however, it is significantly lower than what the portal has been reporting for weeks.
Barry Ciccocioppo, communications director of the Pennsylvania Department of Health, said the data was incorrect recently and that the department of health is investigating the inconsistency.
Of the 26 people admitted to the hospital, the portal reports that three of them are in intensive care units and two on ventilators.
There were 43,683 fully vaccinated – either with both covid shots of the Pfizer or Moderna or with the one-shot vaccine Johnson & Johnson – which is almost 12% of the country’s population. There are 89,651 residents with at least one shot – almost 25% of the population.
Since the pandemic began, 28,094 covid cases have been recorded in the country, with 19,648 confirmed by PCR tests.
Chris Pastrick is a digital producer of Tribune Review. You can contact Chris at 412-320-7898, [email protected] or via Twitter .
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