• 124 new deaths added to state’s COVID-19 toll.
Levine says cases continue to decline
The state’s COVID-19 death toll jumped by 124 on Friday, including four new deaths in Western Pennsylvania, as much of the southwestern region moved into the “yellow” reopening stage.
State Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine said the state’s rate of infection had declined over the past 14 days and the “current load of COVID-19” had peaked, but portions of the state are only beginning to see “meaningful decline.”
“While we are on the decline, it is not the time to stop our efforts,” Dr. Levine said. “These efforts will help us prevent a resurgence of the virus and will keep our counties moving in the right direction.”
The state health department also reported 986 new cases of the novel coronavirus across Pennsylvania in the previous 24 hours, marking the fifth straight day under 1,000 cases. Statewide, there have been a total of 4,342 deaths and 60,622 cases.
Of the four new deaths in the Pittsburgh region, two were in Allegheny County (one at a nursing home) and one each in Beaver County and Indiana County, according to the state data. The individual who died in Beaver County was also a nursing home resident, the state said.
The new figures bring Allegheny’s total deaths to 141 — 130 confirmed and 11 probable. Allegheny also reported 31 new cases, bringing the county’s total to 1,582 — 1,502 were confirmed and 80 probable. Allegheny County has the highest number of total cases and deaths in Western Pennsylvania.
A case is probable “when the person displays symptoms of COVID-19 and has had close contact with a confirmed positive case but has not had a positive test themselves,” according to the county.
Since the first case was confirmed on March 14, Allegheny County has administered 23,114 tests. County health department Director Dr. Debra Bogen has said the county has the capacity to administer roughly 2,000 tests per day.
As of Friday, 290 people have required hospitalization in Allegheny, with 117 of those requiring admission to an intensive care unit and 67 needing mechanical ventilation.
Statewide, 4,349 health care workers, 12,937 residents of long-term care living facilities and 2,369 food industry employees have been infected, Dr. Levine said. A total of 1,916 Pennsylvanians are currently hospitalized for COVID-19, according to data on the health department’s website, and 420 of them require the use of ventilators.
Dr. Levine confirmed cases of a rare COVID-19-related inflammation in children, officially called multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, are present in Pennsylvania. However, she was unable to give details on the number of cases or where they are located, she said, because the information had yet to be entered into the state’s database. There were no cases in Pittsburgh as of May 13, the Post-Gazette reported then.
Today many state pandemic restrictions were lifted for businesses in Allegheny and several surrounding counties that entered the “yellow” reopening phase. Gov. Tom Wolf announced today 12 more counties across the state, including Beaver, will move to the yellow phase on May 22.
The other 11 counties are Adams, Carbon, Columbia, Cumberland, Juniata, Mifflin, Perry, Susquehanna, Wyoming, Wayne and York.
Mr. Wolf expressed frustration with local officials and businesses that make decisions contrary to the state government’s orders, telling county officials if they choose to not listen to state guidelines, “you ignore that at your peril.”
“The virus is the thing setting the rules here, not me, not the federal government, not the county,” he said.
When asked about the Pike County sheriff’s decision to not enforce the stayat-home order, the governor wondered why “someone elected to public office to enforce the law is actually out there saying, ‘I’m gonna break it.’”
Additionally, Mr. Wolf said various state regulatory departments would consider rescinding operating licenses for businesses that reopen early and said insurance companies may take action against their customers as well.
In response to New Jersey’s and Delaware’s decisions to reopen beaches, the governor said going anywhere that may see close contact with other people puts oneself and others at risk.
“I’m certainly not going to the beach,” he said.
Here are the positive cases reported Friday across Western Pennsylvania:
• Allegheny: 1,582 (up 31 from Thursday)
• Armstrong: 57 (up 1)
• Beaver: 516 (up 4)
• Butler: 202 (up 3)
• Cambria: 49 (up 4)
• Clarion: 24 (no change)
• Clearfield: 33 (no change)
• Crawford: 21 (no change)
• Erie: 129 (up 2)
• Fayette: 87 (no change)
• Forest: 7 (no change)
• Greene: 27 (no change)
• Indiana: 84 (up 2)
• Jefferson: 7 (no change)
• Lawrence: 72 (up 1)
• Mercer: 83 (up 2)
• Somerset: 32 (no change)
• Venango: 7 (no change)
• Washington: 129 (no change)
• Westmoreland: 423 (up 1) Here are the number of deaths reported Friday across Western Pennsylvania:
• Allegheny: 141 (up 2 since Thursday)
• Armstrong: 5 (no change)
• Beaver: 83 (up 1)
• Butler: 6 (no change)
• Cambria: 1 (no change)
• Clarion: 1 (no change)
• Erie: 3 (no change)
• Fayette: 4 (no change)
• Greene: 1 (no change)
• Indiana: 6 (up 1)
• Lawrence: 7 (no change)
• Mercer: 2 (no change)
• Somerset: 1 (no change)
• Washington: 4 (no change)
• Westmoreland: 32 (no change)
Westmoreland County’s fatality data is based on the county coroner’s website.
For additional information on Allegheny County data, visit the county’s COVID-19 Dashboard. More information on statewide results can be found on the Department of Health website.