Allegheny County reports 186 covid cases, 17 deaths

Allegheny County saw 186 additional coronavirus cases and 17 deaths reported on Wednesday, according to the county’s health department.

Those cases — 105 confirmed and 81 probable — bring the county’s total to 77,239 since the pandemic began last March.

Daily case totals have dropped significantly in the past three months, with 1,028 reported on Dec. 3, 380 on Jan. 3 and 328 on Feb. 3. The county’s seven-day average of new cases is at 248.

According the state’s OpenData site, there are 170 county residents hospitalized for covid-19, with 47 being treated in ICUs and 14 on ventilators. Covid hospitalizations in the county have been trending downwards since hitting a peak of 881 on Dec. 16.

The death total compiled by the county grew to 1,686, with the 17 deaths imported from the state’s Electronic Death Reporting System. The deaths ranged from Nov. 23 to Feb. 27, with one in November, one in December and the rest in February. The ages of those who died were five in their 60s, one in their 70s, five in their 80s and six in their 90s. Three of the deaths are associated with long-term care facilities.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health added four deaths to its total for the county, which grew to 1,734. The two health departments have reported varying numbers throughout the pandemic, with the difference attributed to different reporting methods.

The dates of positive tests range from Feb. 21 to March 2, with only one positive test older than a week. The new cases — 97 male and 89 female — range from 7 months to 94 years with a median of 38.

Allegheny County has 163 nursing homes and personal care homes that have had coronavirus cases. In those facilities, there have been 1,946 cases among employees and 5,522 cases among residents, with 971 deaths.