Allegheny County averaged 300 new COVID-19 cases a day for the week ending Feb. 20., according to the County Health Department. This data shows the decline in coronavirus transmission that began last month is continuing.
During the first half of January, the county was reporting more than 3,000 new COVID-19 cases a day. The County Health Department says analysis of wastewater shows the surge was driven by the highly infectious omicron variant.
At the time many hoped the omicron wave would recede as swiftly as it came; it seems that’s roughly what’s going on.
While the county’s report of new cases might be an undercount due to at-home testing, the number of hospitalizations and deaths are also falling. For example, state data shows in Allegheny County there are currently around 200 people hospitalized with COVID-19. A month ago it was more than 760.
Despite the good news, COVID-19 is still deadly; so far this month, at least 45 people have died from the virus.
