Region reports four new COVID19 deaths,

Daily COVID-19 death totals in southwestern Pennsylvania and statewide continue to decline.

That represents a hopeful sign, given state preparations to open up 24 mostly rural northern counties Friday and local hopes that the state stay-at-home order for Allegheny County will be lifted sometime soon thereafter.

On Saturday, the county Health Department reported three additional deaths, bringing the total county count to 102, and only 14 new COVID-19 infections countywide, for a total to date of 1,333. Both counts include probable and confirmed cases.

Besides Allegheny, most counties in Western Pennsylvania have seen either single-digit increases or no new cases since Friday.

Beaver County reported nine new cases and was the only other county in the region to report a new COVID-19 death Saturday. That fatality occurred in a nursing home, as did two of Allegheny County’s new deaths.

Long-term care facilities — including nursing and personal care homes — continue to be hot spots for new cases and deaths, with 8,827 resident cases of COVID-19 and 1,148 cases among employees.

That represents a total of 9,975 cases at 478 long-term care facilities in 44 counties.

In addition, the new total of 1,614 deaths of residents in those facilities that include nursing and personal-care homes account for 67% — two-thirds — of the state total number of COVID-19 deaths.

Allegheny County’s daily case totals have been in general decline since March 30; total deaths, while showing some dramatic spikes and troughs, also reflect a declining trend since April 20, according to county data.

Two additional hospitalizations throughout the county have occurred, bringing the Saturday total to 237, with unchanged totals of 99 patients having required intensive care throughout the pandemic and 60 having been placed on mechanical respiration.

Meanwhile, the Pennsylvania Department of Health announced at noon Saturday there were 1,334 additional positive cases of COVID-19 statewide for a total of 48,305 cases to date. The 64 new deaths have raised the statewide total to 2,418.

“As we see the number of new COVID-19 cases continuously change across the state, that does not mean we can stop practicing social distancing,” Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said in a statement. “We must continue to stay home to protect ourselves, our families and our community.

“If you must go out, please make as few trips as possible and wear a mask to protect not only yourself, but others,” she said.

The department said most patient hospitalizations and deaths continue to involve people aged 65 or older with no pediatric deaths to date.

Nearly 3,000 of the state’s total number of COVID-19 cases involve health care workers.

According to the state, 187,071 tests have come back negative.

Here are the positive cases across Western Pennsylvania as of Friday:

• Allegheny: 1,333 (up 14 from Friday)

• Armstrong: 52 (no change)

• Beaver: 435 (up 9)

• Butler: 180 (no change)

• Cambria: 32 (up 1)

• Clarion: 23 (no change)

• Clearfield: 16 (no change)

• Crawford: 19 (no change)

• Erie: 90 (up 3)

• Fayette: 82 (up 1)

• Forest: 7 (no change)

• Greene: 27 (up 1)

• Indiana: 63 (no change)

• Jefferson: 6 (up 1)

• Lawrence: 65 (no change)

• Mercer: 66 (up 1)

• Somerset: 29 (up 3)

• Venango: 7 (no change)

• Washington: 118 (up 2)

• Westmoreland: 396 (up 3)