Pennsylvania reports 80 new deaths from covid-19, total cases now crest 31,000

Eighty more people in Pennsylvania have died of covid-19, hiking the statewide death toll from the coronavirus disease up to 836, state health officials said Saturday.

The state’s total number of confirmed cases has crested 31,000, with 1,628 new cases reported between Friday and 10 a.m. Saturday.

Positive cases of covid-19 have been confirmed in all of the state’s 67 counties.

Allegheny County reported four more covid-19 deaths and 62 new cases, for a total of 1,009 since its first positive case on March 14, county data show. Forty-seven Allegheny County patients have died from the disease.

Beaver County reported 100 new cases between Friday and Saturday — a 56% one-day increase in the state’s count, for a total of 278.

Ninety-nine of Beaver County’s new cases were patients in nursing homes. The state did not specify which nursing homes reported the latest cases.

With 11 covid-19 deaths and more than 100 infected residents, Brighton Rehabilitation & Wellness Center said weeks ago it would no longer report new cases to the public and presumed all of its residents might have the disease.

State officials did not specify how many of the newly reported cases may have come from Brighton. The nursing home has 589 beds and more than 400 residents.

“We know that Brighton has had many positive cases at the facility, both confirmed and probable,” a state health department spokesperson said by email Saturday afternoon. “We continue to provide support in infection control, as well as in ensuring patient care continues.”

The state health department reported just 13 deaths in Westmoreland County as of midday Saturday — which is less than what local officials are reporting.

The Westmoreland County Coroner continues to report at least 19 covid-19 deaths, according to its website, which was last updated on Thursday.

State officials attributed some of the discrepancies and lag in reporting to delays via electronic systems, when labs report data and how quickly test results get processed. Some tests can be turned around in two to three days, and others can take up to a week. The recent Easter and other religious holidays also may have delayed reporting and testing.

“There are days when all of this information catches up and produces an increase,” the state health department spokesperson said. “Knowing that there can be single day spikes in reporting of data, we are looking at trends over a period of days to determine what is happening in a particular region.”

Elsewhere in Western Pennsylvania, Armstrong County has two deaths and 36 positive cases of the disease, state data show.

Butler County reported 160 cases and five deaths.

Washington County has two deaths and 79 cases, Fayette County has three deaths and 66 cases and Greene County has 24 cases and no deaths.

Of the 31,069 cases across the state, about 2,600 patients are hospitalized — about 8% of all cases, state data show. About 638 hospitalized patients have required ventilators.

State Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine said that 70% of the state’s supply of ventilators remain available.

Nearly 1,600 of total cases involve health care workers.

None of the covid-19 deaths have involved children.

As of Friday, the state had reported 1,706 new cases and 49 more deaths.

Earlier this week, newly reported case counts were below 1,400, and Wednesday and Thursday saw fewer than 1,200 new cases.

Age breakdown of positive cases:

0-4: ​< 1%

​5-12: ​< 1%

​13-18: ​1%

​19-24: 6%

​25-49: ​39%

​50-64: ​28%

​65+: ​24%

Age breakdown of hospitalizations:

​0-29: ​2%

30-49: 5%

50-64: 9%

​65-79: 20%

​80+: 22%