Allegheny County reports 'beyond concerning' record 527 new coronavirus cases

Allegheny County added a record 527 new coronavirus cases to its total on Sunday, shattering the previous high by more than 100.

The new cases bring the county’s total to 20,026, becoming the second county in the state with more than 20,000. (Philadelphia has the most with 48,817 and surpassed 20,000 on June 15.) The prior high case total before Sunday was 412 on Thursday.

“The continued increase in new covid cases is beyond concerning. This past week, I joined with the chief medical officers of our region’s health systems to talk about our growing concerns,” said Dr. Debra Bogen, the director of the Health Department. “Despite our cautionary messages, the number of cases is continuing to increase rapidly. While we are better prepared today than when we first began seeing cases in March, we must still be proactive in reducing the spread of the virus.”

In the past seven days, the county has reported 2,640 new cases, accounting for 13.2% of the total cases since the pandemic began in March. That puts the seven-day average for the county at 377.

“We are actively considering what options are available to the Health Department to limit this spread,” Bogen said

According the Pennsylvania Department of Health, there are currently 291 covid-19 patients hospitalized in Allegheny County, including 104 in the ICU. The county has 814 ventilators, with 228 in use, 43 by covid-19 patients.

The county’s health department reported no new deaths, leaving its official total at 458. Data from the Pennsylvania Department of Health notes three new deaths in Allegheny County, bringing its total to 458. The discrepancy between the two departments has been attributed to different reporting methods.

The new cases — 294 female and 233 male — range from 3 months to 104 years with a median age of 40. Of the new cases, 396 are confirmed and 131 are probable. Here’s how they broke down by age:

• 0-4: 8
• 5-12: 15
• 13-18: 32
• 19-24: 78
• 25-49: 201
• 50-64: 111
• 65+: 82

November has seen 4,230 cases already, surpassing every month with the exception of June, which had 5,334.

“Doing nothing is no longer an option as we must protect our healthcare workers, both at hospital and long-term care facilities, and our first responders during this health crisis,” Bogen said. “People are doing well in structured settings, but we continue to see more and more cases as a result of unmonitored, private social gatherings.”