849 new COVID-19 cases reported as Allegheny County surge continues
HARRISBURG — The state Department of Health on Wednesday reported 849 new cases of the coronavirus, including another 230 in the emerging hot spot of Allegheny County and rising numbers in some nearby counties.
The statewide case total now stands at 92,148. The 25 newly reported deaths pushed the disease’s toll in the state to 6,812.
Allegheny has had more than 100 new cases of the virus for nine straight days, following a long stretch where it had less than 100 every day.
The Allegheny area spike comes as residents patronize eating and drinking establishments and head to out-of-state virus hot spots. Health officials have imposed restrictions on restaurants and bars, shuttered a casino and limited gatherings.
Authorities there and in some nearby counties have braced for the possibility that state health officials will reimpose pandemic restrictions in an effort to contain the spread.
In four counties adjacent to Allegheny — Beaver, Butler, Washington and Westmoreland — the combined number of new virus cases has exceeded 60 every day of the past week. On 10 of the 11 days ended June 30, the combined daily number was less than 40.
State Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine has indicated the department might issue mitigation measures for those counties. Unlike Allegheny, they do not have their own health departments.
“We are continually monitoring what is happening in southwest Pennsylvania and are in communication with local officials,” spokeswoman April Hutcheson said late Wednesday afternoon. “We are prepared to take action as necessary to protect residents from the spread of COVID-19 and prevent people from getting sick.”
Hutcheson said the uptick in the four Allegheny-bordering counties appeared to be driven by new cases in younger age brackets. She also said hospitalization rates in the area, while low, have increased slightly.
Diana Irey Vaughan, Republican chairperson of the Washington County Board of Commissioners, said the county would not move on its own to shut down businesses, even if it had the authority to do so.
“At some point, there has to be personal responsibility,” Vaughan said.
Leslie Osche, Republican chairperson of the Butler County Board of Commissioners, said Wednesday. “We have no authority to close anything, nor would we.”
Statewide, meanwhile, the number of people hospitalized statewide for the coronavirus has started to increase after dropping steadily going into the Fourth of July.
The 589 people hospitalized around midday on the holiday was about 21% fewer than were hospitalized 12 days earlier. But the figure Wednesday was 649, or more than 10% higher than the July 4 figure.
The counties with largest number of new coronavirus cases Wednesday, according to state data, were Allegheny with 230; Philadelphia, 90; Lancaster, 50; Delaware, 43; York, 38; Montgomery, 36; Westmoreland, 33; and
Chester with 29.
The state data includes both probable and confirmed cases.
Confirmed cases are those testing positive for the virus. Scenarios that would lead to a probable case include one where an individual has not been tested but shows symptoms and has had close contact with a confirmed case.
Of the newly reported cases, 35 were in the Lehigh Valley. Twenty of the new cases were counted in Lehigh County and 15 in Northampton.
The number of cases in Lehigh stands at 4,354, and the number of cases in Northampton is 3,500.
Lehigh County had three additional deaths, and Northampton County had one, pushing the Lehigh Valley’s death toll to 588.
Meanwhile, the Republicancontrolled General Assembly presented a resolution to Wolf to terminate his COVID-19 emergency declaration. In an email, a spokeswoman for Wolf reiterated his refusal to sign it.
The move by the Legislature follows a court fight triggered by the original passage of the resolution in the pandemic.
Last week, the state Supreme Court ruled that the Legislature could not act unilaterally to end the emergency declared by Wolf. Republican leaders on Wednesday said the court decision still allowed them to “present” the resolution to Wolf, which they did Wednesday.