After 2+ weeks in the ‘green’ phase, Allegheny Co. just reported its largest increase in cases since early May

PITTSBURGH — Forty-five new cases of the coronavirus were reported Monday in Allegheny County, the largest increase since May 7, when there was also an increase of 45.

There have been 2,220 cases of COVID-19 in the county, according to the Allegheny County Health Department. Of those, 2,083 are confirmed cases and 137 are probable cases.

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“Of the 2,220 cases, 296 cases are in healthcare workers. This reflects 13% of the COVID-19 cases in Allegheny County,” a news release said.

During a news conference Monday afternoon, Dr. Debra Bogen with the Allegheny County Health Department said in about half of the 37 cases reported over the weekend, patients had traveled out of state by car, bus and plane before testing positive. The county’s contact tracing teams are working to following the cases and track who they may have come into contact with.

She said people going and coming back from vacation need to be mindful. Walking on the beach is fine. Standing in line with dozens of others at an ice cream stand is not. County officials pointed to the rising numbers of cases in many areas of the south as what could happen here if people do not continue to wear masks and follow the rules.

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No new deaths were reported Monday, keeping that number at 178. Of those, 166 are confirmed to have been caused by COVID-19 and 12 were probably caused by COVID-19. All deaths have been people between the ages of 42 and 103.

The breakdown of cases by age group is as follows:

• 0-4: 19 (1%)
• 5-12: 27 (1%)
• 13-18: 38 (2%)
• 19-24: 163 (7%)
• 25-49: 759 (34%)
• 50-64: 564 (26%)
• 65+: 650 (29%)

Bogen said it is likely the 25-49 age group is the largest group of positive cases because people in that range are more likely to be out at bars and restaurants.

Of the cases, 1,183 have been female and 1,034 have been male. The genders of three cases have not been reported.

There are 365 people who have been or are currently being hospitalized, an increase of one since Sunday.

While that increase is significant, there’s been only one new hospitalization over the same time frame.

Across the state of Pennsylvania, there was a total of 82,186 COVID-19 cases and 6,426 total deaths as of Monday. That’s an increase of 456 cases and 3 deaths.

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