Westmoreland County added five new coronavirus deaths on Wednesday, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
The five deaths bring the county’s total to 93 and are the highest single-day total since six deaths were reported on May 18.
The county also added 91 new covid-19 cases, bring the case total to 4,260.
The new cases — 79 confirmed and 12 probable — come from 382 tests for a daily positivity rate of 23.82%. The county’s overall positivity rate is 7.66% since March.
Westmoreland County’s hospitalizations have been on a steady rise in October. Before this month, the county’s 14-day average for hospitalizations never surpassed nine, according to state data. But in October, it’s consistently climbed:
- Oct. 1: 7.1
- Oct. 8: 13.8
- Oct. 15: 25.2
- Oct. 22: 38.4
- Oct. 28: 42.8
According to the state’s covid-19 dashboard, there are currently 47 coronavirus patients hospitalized in the county, an increase of three from Tuesday’s 44. Westmoreland has 88 ventilators, with 15 in use but just seven by covid-19 patients.
Westmoreland County commissioners are expected to award a $10,000 contract to Harrisburg-based LW Consulting Inc. to review the policies in place and make recommendations for improvements at Westmoreland Manor, the county-owned nursing home. More than 160 residents and employees there have been infected with coronavirus there.
