ALLEGHENY COUNTY, Pa. — The number of new positive cases of COVID-19 continues to surge, with Pennsylvania reporting more than 4,300 cases Monday, making it the highest daily increase the state has seen since the pandemic began, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
The new 4,361 cases brings the total number of statewide cases to 238,657.
The new cases come from tests done within the last seven days from Nov. 3 to Nov. 9.
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There were also 62 new deaths reported for a total of 9,086 deaths as a result of COVID-19.
You can find a breakdown of the numbers by county through the Pennsylvania’s Department of Health website.
Another 317 new COVID-19 cases were reported Tuesday in Allegheny County, many of which reported attending parties and gatherings, according to the Allegheny County Health Department.
Of the 317 new cases, 236 are confirmed cases and 81 are probable cases.
New cases range in age from 1 year to 105 years old, with a median age of 37 years. The dates of positive tests ranged from Oct. 30 to Nov. 9.
“Many of these cases reported attending parties and gatherings, including several Halloween parties. The Health Department encourages people not to attend parties or gatherings while the county’s case counts are high and to take precautions such as wearing masks and keeping physical distance between you and others if you do,” the Health Department said in a news release.
One new death was reported. That person, who was in their 80s and was associated with a long-term care facility, died on Oct. 28.
Since March 14, there have been 17,973 cases of COVID-19 in Allegheny County residents, 1,544 hospitalizations and 448 deaths.
Cases in Allegheny County have risen substantially over the past several weeks, according to the Health Department. By mid-October, the county averaged about 800 new cases a week after staying under 550 for all of August and September.
Data is still preliminary for much of the first week in November and this week, but the Health Department expects the weekly number of new cases to top 1,000.
“This indicates that there is a significant amount of community spread. Without changes to personal behaviors, such as limiting parties and gatherings, cases will continue to rise. The Health Department is concerned that increases in serious hospitalizations and deaths will follow this span of consistently high cases,” the news release said.
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