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For Second Straight Day, Allegheny County Sets New Record For COVID-19 Cases

Keith Srakocic
/
AP

Allegheny County health officials today reported 96 new COVID-19 cases, the second straight day that it has posted a record number of infections.

This post will be updated.

The Health Department report continues a string of nine days of elevated infections that began about two weeks after the county entered the green phase of reopening from the coronavirus pandemic shutdown. Saturday's report of 90 new infections had previouslybeen thehighest daily total since the county recorded its first case, March 14. Before this weekend, the highest daily infection total was in early April.

The county reported no new deaths from COVID-19. Deaths are considered a trailing indicator of the virus' spread.

Ages of people with the newly reported infections range from 3 to 84, with a median age of 27. This also continues a trend of new cases hitting a younger population. The current spike in infections appears to be linked primarily to out-of-state travel and increased patronage of bars and restaurants, which were permitted to reopen at 50 percent capacity when the county went green on June 5.

Neither state nor county officials have yet said whether the spike will mean returning Allegheny County to the yellow or red phase of restrictions.

In a statement, county officials said they plan to hold a virtual media briefing on Sunday to discuss the latest figures.

Bill is a long-time Pittsburgh-based journalist specializing in the arts and the environment. Previous to working at WESA, he spent 21 years at the weekly Pittsburgh City Paper, the last 14 as Arts & Entertainment editor. He is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism and in 30-plus years as a journalist has freelanced for publications including In Pittsburgh, The Nation, E: The Environmental Magazine, American Theatre, and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Bill has earned numerous Golden Quill awards from the Press Club of Western Pennsylvania. He lives in the neighborhood of Manchester, and he once milked a goat. Email: bodriscoll@wesa.fm