Probable COVID-19 deaths removed from Pa health department totals
State Department of Health officials have removed 鈥減robable鈥� COVID-19 deaths from the department鈥檚 count of those who have died from the virus.
Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said some of the probable deaths remain under investigation, as health officials work to determine if a deceased patient had the virus.
鈥淭his verification process is very intensive. Under normal circumstances it can take months to complete,鈥� Levine said.
The change dropped the number of deaths reported from 1,622 on Wednesday to 1,421 on Thursday.
Levine said confirmed deaths from COVID-19 are reported in those who have tested positive for the virus. The probable deaths initially reported were in those who exhibited virus symptoms, but did not have a test.
In some cases, she said, health officials may never be able to confirm those in the probable category had the virus.
There have been three deaths in Fayette County, and each of those was in someone who tested positive for the virus, according to the DOH.
Thursday鈥檚 number saw a one-case increase in Fayette, bringing its total number of cases to 71, while Greene County鈥檚 case count remained at 25 for the fourth consecutive day.
Washington County鈥檚 cases rose from 87 to 92; Westmoreland County鈥檚 from 300 to 307 and Allegheny County鈥檚 from 1,088 to 1,149.
Statewide, the case count grew to 37,053, which includes 36,665 confirmed cases and 388 probable cases.
For more information on the coronavirus, including county-level data, visit health.pa.gov.