New restrictions on hold; COVID-19 cases decline

By KRISTIE LINDEN

klinden@yourmvi.com

Allegheny County reported a much lower new-case count Monday than it has had in the past few weeks, but health department officials caution against reading anything into the numbers coming off a weekend.

ACHD reported 71 new cases, down sharply from last week when most days saw new case counts in the 200s. 

“While we are glad to see today’s low number of positive cases, we are not reading anything into a single low number,” ACHD officials said in an official statement. “Testing over the weekend is typically lower, meaning that there is a decrease in cases and tests reported on a Monday. Additionally, we have heard that the increased volume of residents being tested has also slowed the reporting process down. 

“We are hopeful that this is the trend but would be remiss if we did not remind everyone to continue wearing masks, washing their hands and maintaining physical distance from others to keep our community safe.”

Westmoreland County also had a relatively low new-case count Monday— about half as many the county had daily last week — but it brought about an unfortunate milestone. With 16 new cases Monday, Westmoreland County crossed the 1,000 case threshold and hit 1,010 total cases since the pandemic began in March.

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