Greater Harrisburg's Community Magazine

COVID-19 cases top 60,000 in PA, as day-to-day trendline continues to flatten

An image from the PA Department of Health lab in Exton

Pennsylvania today exceeded 60,000 total COVID-19 infections, though the number of new daily cases continued to be below 1,000.

The state Department of Health today reported 986 newly diagnosed cases as of midnight.

New cases in PA peaked in early April at nearly 2,000 cases, but have shown a gradual, relatively steady decline since. The state has reported fewer than 1,000 new cases all week.

Of the new cases today, 260 are in residents of nursing and personal care homes.

With the additional cases, 60,622 Pennsylvanians have now been diagnosed with the coronavirus.

Locally, total diagnosed cases are as follows:

  • Adams County: 183 cases (yesterday, 174)
  • Cumberland County: 492 cases (yesterday, 477)
  • Dauphin County: 912 cases (yesterday, 895)
  • Franklin County: 580 cases (yesterday, 563)
  • Lancaster County: 2,428 cases (yesterday, 2,364)
  • Lebanon County: 863 cases (yesterday, 856)
  • Perry County: 36 cases (yesterday, 36)
  • York County: 828 cases (yesterday, 817)

Overall, 18.9 percent of PA residents tested have shown to be positive for the virus.

The health department also reported 124 fatalities, meaning that 4,342 Pennsylvanians have died from the disease over the past two months.

The majority of new fatalities—95—were residents of nursing or personal care homes.

According to the department, 35 of the deaths occurred within “the last few days,” while 89 resulted from “the reconciliation of data over the past several weeks.” The department often has had to update fatality counts due to inconsistent reporting to the state and data conflicts.

Around central PA, the COVID-19 fatality data now stands as follows:

  • Adams County: 6 deaths (yesterday, 5)
  • Cumberland County: 41 deaths (yesterday, 37)
  • Dauphin County: 41 deaths (yesterday, 40)
  • Franklin County: 17 deaths (yesterday, 15)
  • Lancaster County: 186 deaths (yesterday, 183)
  • Lebanon County: 19 deaths (yesterday, 19)
  • Perry County: 1 death (yesterday, 1)
  • York County: 16 deaths (yesterday, 15)

Statewide, Philadelphia County continues to have the most confirmed cases with 15,835 cases, followed by Montgomery County with 5,697 cases. The two counties also have reported the most deaths statewide from the disease: 1,004 and 608, respectively.

“As counties move from red to yellow, we need all Pennsylvanians to continue to follow the social distancing and mitigation efforts in place,” heath Secretary Rachel Levine said.

Today, the state moved 13 counties in the southwest portion of the state into the less-restrictive yellow phase, joining 24 counties in the northwest and north-central parts of PA that moved to yellow last week.

Nursing homes and personal care facilities have been particularly hard hit by the virus. Out of total deaths, 2,991, or 68.9 percent, have occurred in residents from nursing or personal care facilities, according to the health department.

In nursing and personal care homes, there are 12,937 resident cases of COVID-19, and 2,039 cases among employees, for a total of 14,976 at 550 distinct facilities in 44 counties, according to the health department.

In addition, 4,349 of total cases in PA are in health care workers.

Statewide, 319,832 coronavirus tests have been performed, with 259,210 people testing negative, according to the state health department. Yesterday, the state reported that 311,195 people had been tested for the virus.

Of the patients who have tested positive to date, the age breakdown is as follows, according to the health department:

  • Nearly 1 percent are aged 0-4
  • Nearly 1 percent are aged 5-12
  • Nearly 2 percent are aged 13-18
  • Nearly 6 percent are aged 19-24
  • Nearly 37 percent are aged 25-49
  • Nearly 26 percent are aged 50-64
  • 28 percent are aged 65 or older.

Most of the patients hospitalized are 65 or older, as are most of the reported deaths, according to the state.

Levine continued to emphasize that Pennsylvanians should do the following:

  • Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.
  • Cover any coughs or sneezes with your elbow, not your hands.
  • Clean surfaces frequently.
  • Stay home to avoid spreading COVID-19, especially if you are unwell. 

“We must continue to protect our most vulnerable Pennsylvanians, which includes our seniors, those with underlying health issues, our healthcare workers and our first responders,” Levine said. “I am proud of the work that Pennsylvanians have done so far, but we cannot stop now, we must continue to take the necessary steps to protect ourselves from COVID-19.”

For more information, visit the PA Department of Health’s COVID-19 website.

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