For a fifth straight day, the Allegheny County Health Department announced a new covid-19 case count below the 200 mark.
On Monday, officials reported 180 new cases, the ninth time in the past 10 days the count has been in the 100s; there were 96 cases reported on July 22. To date, the county has reported 7,474 cases of covid-19.
Of the 180 cases reported in the past 24 hours, 178 are confirmed cases and two are probable.
In the past 10 days, the county has averaged 148 new cases a day. That’s 53 cases less than the county was averaging the prior 10 days.
The new batch of positives come from 1,929 tests conducted July 9-26. Of those positive cases, all but two were confirmed. New cases range in age from 2 to 101 years with a median age of 45 years.
The county reported two new hospitalizations, the third straight day that number has been low. After seeing 53 people hospitalized July 22-24, the county reported just 10 hospitalizations in the past three days. In all, the county has seen 583 people admitted to hospitals for covid-19.
There were no new deaths added to the county’s total of 222 since the pandemic began in March.
Of Allegheny County residents who have died from covid-19, the majority (81%) were age 70 or older, while 11.7% were ages 60-69.
The age group that has tested positive the most remains those 20-29 (11%). However, they are also the ones being tested the most (18,922 individuals tested), and they are the age group that has recovered the most — with 1,319 people considered “recovered” out of 2,081 cases.
On its website, the county says, “Recovery is a calculation from the CDC … based on one of two conditions: 32 days have passed after a person was hospitalized for covid-19 and not deceased or 14 days have passed after a person tested positive … and they were not hospitalized.”
To date, there have been outcomes in 4,497 cases — 4,275 are assumed to be recovered and 222 have died. Among cases that have had an outcome, 95% have recovered. There are 2,804 cases without an assumed outcome.
At the Allegheny County Jail, officials report another inmate and another staffer have tested positive.
A total of 34 inmates have tested positive since March 13, the county reported. Of those, two are still in the facility, with 31 having either recovered or been released. A total of 300 inmates have been tested, with 259 testing negative for an 11.3% positivity rate. The county reported six tests are still pending. To date, no inmates have required hospitalization.
So far, 11 jail employees have tested positive, with eight having recovered. In all, 90 staff members have tested negative with four tests still pending, for a 12.2% positivity rate.
County health officials have said the large volume of new cases has created issues with results. On its website, the health department has posted a what-to-expect information sheet for those being tested and those who have been in contact with them.
Health officials continue to urge residents to wear masks, wash their hands and maintain physical distance from others to keep the community safe.
Chris Pastrick is a Tribune-Review digital producer. You can contact Chris at 412-320-7898, cpastrick@triblive.com or via Twitter .
Categories:
Coronavirus | Local | Allegheny | Top Stories
