Allegheny County reports 8 new coronavirus cases, 3 more deaths

Allegheny County Health Department officials reported eight new covid-19 cases and three new deaths Friday, the day the county entered the least restrictive phase of Gov. Tom Wolf’s reopening plan.

That increased the total number of deaths countywide to 168, while the total number of confirmed and probable cases rose to 1,973, according to the county. The first cases were reported in Allegheny County on March 14.

Two more people were hospitalized in the county, bringing the total number of hospitalizations to 349 since mid-March. Of those, according to county officials, 69 patients have had to be ventilated.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health was reporting 166 deaths in Allegheny County as of Thursday. The county had said recently that it was reporting fewer deaths than the state because it did not have access to one of the state’s reporting systems.

Of the covid-19 deaths in Allegheny County, 80% have been in patients over the age of 70.

About 58% of cases in Allegheny County have been patients over the age of 50. There have been 24 cases reported in children under the age of 9 — none have died.

In total, the county has administered 35,444 tests during the pandemic.