Allegheny County surpasses 100,000 covid-19 cases, half-million residents fully vaccinated

May 15—Allegheny has become the second county in Pennsylvania to surpass 100,000 cases of coronavirus.

In its covid-19 report released Saturday, the Allegheny County Health Department reported 186 new cases of the virus.

That brings the county's total since the pandemic began to 100,039. Only Philadelphia, with 146,238 cases, has more.

Despite the unwelcome milestone, Allegheny is among the counties with a low number of cases per 100,000 residents — with 8,227. That ranks it 50th among the state's 67 counties.

Forest County, with its small population of 7,247, ranks the highest with 19,650 cases per 100,000. Philadelphia, the only other county besides Allegheny with more than 1 million residents, ranks 31st at 9,232. Susquehanna has the lowest average at 6,365.

Cases are also down across Pennsylvania, as are hospitalizations and deaths.

Cases

The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 2,210 new covid cases. It's the 11th straight day with cases under 3,000 — something that hasn't happened since late October. The state's seven-day case average dropped to 1,835 and the seven-day case total fell to 12,844.

Of the state's latest cases, 1,554 were confirmed through PCR testing, while 656 were listed as probable cases. Health officials define a probable case as one in which a patient has a positive viral antigen test or covid symptoms with a "high-risk exposure" to someone who has been confirmed to have coronavirus.

With 473 new cases, Philadelphia led all counties on Saturday. It was followed by Allegheny (186), York (90), Berks (78) and Westmoreland (74).

Among other regional counties' new case counts, Washington had 58, Fayette 50, Beaver 37, Butler 22, Somerset 19, Indiana 17, and Armstrong nine.

The state's overall case count stands at 1,185,132, with 995,469 cases confirmed.

Among Allegheny County's newest cases, 101 are confirmed and 85 are listed as probable. New cases ranged in age from 3 years to 82 years, with a median age of 30 years.

The age breakdown of the newly reported cases — 100 female, 86 male — is:

—Ages 0-4: 2

—Ages 5-12: 14

—Ages 13-18: 19

—Ages 19-24: 38

—Ages 25-49: 64

—Ages 50-64: 41

—Ages 65 and over: 8

The county's seven-day case average continues to drop, currently standing at 153. The county's seven-day case total — at 1,070 — is rapidly moving toward just triple digits, where it has not been since late October.

In Westmoreland County, health officials reported 74 new cases, lowering the seven-day case average to 47. The last time the average was that low was Oct. 9.

Among the latest cases, 35 were confirmed and 39 listed as probable. The county's overall total cases stands at 33,621, with 22,744 confirmed.

Vaccinations

On the same day Allegheny County breached the 100,000 case mark, it also surpassed half a million residents fully vaccinated.

As of Saturday, there are 501,428 county residents with both doses of a covid vaccine or the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine — that's 40.99% of the entire county's population. There are 706,003 county residents (57.71%) with at least one dose of a vaccine.

In Westmoreland County, there are 124,928 residents (34.2%) fully vaccinated, and 161,497 (44.2%) with at least one dose.

Across Pennsylvania, 4,889,879 residents have been fully vaccinated — 38.2% of the entire population. Factoring out those under 18, that percentage increases to 47.8% (4,855,874).

Gov. Tom Wolf has said the mandate would be lifted when the state's adult population reaches 70%. Until then, Pennsylvania's universal face covering order remains in effect, meaning unvaccinated individuals, including children, must still comply with the order.

In accordance with updated masking guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), fully vaccinated individuals (those two weeks removed from your final dose) may choose not to wear a mask, unless a business or organization, such as a school, requires that added layer of protection.

"We ask that Pennsylvanians continue to be kind and respectful to each other as we continue to fight covid-19 in our communities and continue to get residents vaccinated," Acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam said Friday.

People are still being required to wear a mask when using public transportation, traveling into, within or out of the United States, and in U.S. transportation hubs, such as airports and stations.

There are currently 6,896,760 state residents (53.9%) with at least one dose of a covid vaccine or the one-shot Johnson & Johnson. Among those 18 and older, the percentage climbs to 66.9% (6,797,931).

Deaths

State health officials reported no new covid-related deaths Saturday, leaving the toll to date at 26,724. With no additions, the seven-day death total drops below 200 — to 192 — for the first time since April 6.

In Allegheny County, health officials said there was one new death, which occurred in January. The person was in their 90s. To date, 1,915 covid-related deaths have been recorded in Allegheny County.

Westmoreland County's death toll remained at 753. Over the past week, there have been five covid-related deaths reported.

Hospitalizations

There are currently 1,573 Pennsylvania residents hospitalized for covid-19 infections. Of those, 357 are in intensive care units and 231 on a ventilator.

The state's hospital numbers have been steadily dropping over the past 24 days. In that time, the number of hospitalizations in the state has declined nearly 45% and just under 29% since May 1.

The number of patients in ICUs across Pennsylvania has dropped nearly 30% since April 21.

In Allegheny County, there are currently 146 residents in facilities with coronavirus, with 47 in ICUs and 28 on ventilators.

In Westmoreland County, 32 people are hospitalized for covid, with four in ICUs and three on a ventilator.

Chris Pastrick is a Tribune-Review digital producer. You can contact Chris at 412-320-7898, cpastrick@triblive.com or via Twitter .