With 45 new cases, Allegheny County’s single-day count lowest since June
Allegheny County on Tuesday reported the lowest single-day increase of COVID-19 cases since the end of June and one additional death.
Forty-five new cases resulted from 810 tests taken between July 14 and Aug. 17. Despite the range of more than a month, the county health department said 85% of the positive tests were from specimens that had been collected in the past two weeks, and 66% of the positive cases were from tests that had been conducted since Friday.
The case count is the lowest single-day figure since June 25, when the county reported 37 cases. The 810 tests are the lowest the county has reported administering throughout the month of August.
The new cases range in age from 17 to 91 years old, with a median age of 45. The county has now had a total of 9,549 cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began in mid-March.
The one additional death — giving the county 291 total — occurred on Aug. 17, and the person was in their 70s. This death was associated with a long-term care facility, the county said.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, 887 people in Allegheny have been hospitalized. Currently, there are 94 patients in the county hospitalized with COVID-19, based on recent data from the state.
Pennsylvania saw an increase of 735 new cases for Tuesday. This case count includes two days of reporting from Philadelphia, as it had not reported its numbers for Monday to the state. The state has had a total of 125,579 cases of the virus.
Western Pennsylvania accounted for 219 of those newest cases. Behind Allegheny County’s total was Washington County, with 14 new cases.
There also were 31 new deaths reported by the state health department, bringing Pennsylvania’s death toll to 7,499.
Seven of the 31 new deaths were in Western Pennsylvania. Washington County reported three. Allegheny, Beaver, Clarion and Erie counties each reported one death.
Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine noted in a news conference Tuesday morning that 79% of patients in Pennsylvania are “now considered recovered” from the virus.
Total number of positive cases reported Tuesday in Western
Pennsylvania:
• Allegheny: 9,549 (up 45 from Monday)
• Armstrong: 245 (up 1)
• Beaver: 1,423 (up 13)
• Butler: 729 (up 6)
• Cambria: 402 (up 9)
• Clarion: 94 (up 4)
• Clearfield: 195 (up 1)
• Crawford: 172 (up 3)
• Erie: 1,229 (up 12)
• Fayette: 631 (up 3)
• Forest: 13 (up 1)
• Greene: 129 (up 3)
• Indiana: 359 (no change)
• Jefferson: 78 (no change)
• Lawrence: 429 (no change)
• Mercer: 504 (up 9)
• Somerset: 143 (no change)
• Venango: 68 (up 1)
• Washington: 924 (up 14)
• Westmoreland: 1,640 (up 13)
Total number of deaths reported Tuesday in Western Pennsylvania:
• Allegheny: 291 (up 1 from Monday; the state reported 274)
• Armstrong: 9 (no change)
• Beaver: 95 (up 1)
• Butler: 17 (no change)
• Cambria: 3 (no change)
• Clarion: 3 (up 1)
• Clearfield: 1 (no change)
• Crawford: 1 (no change)
• Erie: 28 (up 1)
• Fayette: 6 (no change)
• Forest: 0 (no change)
• Greene: 1 (no change)
• Indiana: 8 (no change)
• Jefferson: 1 (no change)
• Lawrence: 16 (no change)
• Mercer: 12 (no change)
• Somerset: 3 (no change)
• Venango: 0 (no change)
• Washington: 20 (up 3)
• Westmoreland: 48 (no change; the Westmoreland County coroner, whose numbers were last updated on Aug. 10, is reporting 44.)