Coronavirus cases in Pennsylvania continue to remain at low levels not seen since the very beginning of the pandemic in 2020.
In the past week, according to reports from the state’s Department of Health, 1,250 new cases of the virus have been recorded. That number has not been so low since March 25, 2020 — just 19 days after Pennsylvania’s first case was reported. The state’s current seven-day total is 77% lower than it was on June 1, when 5,395 had been reported.
As of Wednesday, Pennsylvania is averaging 179 new cases per day, a 77% drop since June 1 (770).
While cases are low, there has been a slight uptick of positivity rates in the state’s latest PCR tests. It might be of concern moving forward, considering the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows the delta variant is now the most dominant strain in the U.S. — accounting for 51.7% of all covid cases. In Pennsylvania, it’s quickly gaining ground, accounting for 31.4% of all cases, while the alpha variant (44.9%) remains dominant.
The weekly average positivity rates of those being tested has dropped dramatically in recent months. Around 14% of the state’s PCR tests were coming back positive in mid January. That dropped to around 4.5% by early March, only to rise again to around 8% in early April. Since mid April, the positivity rates steadily declined, reaching a low of 0.84% on June 27. However, over the past week, rates have risen slightly to just over 1%.
It should be pointed out that PCR covid testing has rapidly declined over the past several months, going from an average of 45,000 tests per day in April to 12,000 per day in July.
Cases
Of Pennsylvania’s latest new cases in the past week, 986 cases were confirmed through PCR testing, while 264 were labeled as probable. Health officials define a probable case as one in which a patient has a positive viral antigen test or covid symptoms with a “high-risk exposure” to someone who has been confirmed to have coronavirus.
Since the pandemic began, the state has seen a total of 1,213,321 covid cases, with 1,015,808 confirmed through PCR tests.
In the past week, Allegheny County has recorded 82 new covid cases. Of those, 56 cases were confirmed and 26 listed as probable.
The county’s seven-day case total has dropped 77% since June 1, when there were 352 cases over a seven-day span. In all, Allegheny County has amassed 101,980 total cases, with 77,183 of them confirmed.
In Westmoreland County, 22 new cases were reported over the past week. Of those, 17 were confirmed and five listed as probable. The county has seen an 84% decline in cases since June 1 (140). In all, Westmoreland County has recorded 34,448 cases, with 23,148 confirmed.
Here’s a look at the total covid case numbers for other Western Pennsylvania counties, along with the increase there in the past week:
- Armstrong: 6,014 total cases (+0 cases)
- Beaver: 15,562 (+12)
- Butler: 17,639 (+16)
- Fayette: 13,444 (+17)
- Indiana: 6,417 (+2)
- Somerset: 17,942 (+13)
- Washington: 8,082 (+6)
Deaths
In the past week, there have been 40 covid-related deaths in the state — a 69% drop since June 1 (129) and an 85% decline since May 1 (270). Of this past weeks reported deaths, five were from July, 31 from June, two from May, one from April and one from July 2020. Since the pandemic started, 27,718 Pennsylvanians have died because of coronavirus.
Allegheny County has recorded six deaths in the past week, bringing the total death toll in the county to 1,983.
There were two covid-related deaths reported in Westmoreland County in the past week. There has not been more than one death reported in a 24-hour period in Westmoreland since June 2, a day when three deaths were reported. In all, 779 county resident have died from covid.
Vaccinations
More than half of all Pennsylvanians have been fully vaccinated against covid-19, with 6.4 million out of the state’s entire population receiving both doses of either the Pfizer or Moderna shots or the single-dose of the Johnson & Johnson.
Among adults 18 and older, 76% (7.7 million) have at least one dose, while 60.8% (6.17 million) are fully vaccinated.
In Allegheny County, 65.7% of the population (803,264) have at least one dose of a vaccine, while 51.75% (633,024) are fully vaccinated. Among the county’s 18 and older crowd, 80.7% have at least one shot, while 63.6% are fully vaccinated.
Westmoreland County has just over half of its population — 50.34% (183,831) at least partially vaccinated, with 42.8% (156,324) fully covered. Among those 18 and over, 61.5% have at least one shot and 52.3% fully inoculated.
Hospitalizations
Hospital numbers continue to drop, as the state’s seven-day average drops below 300 for the first time since tracking began back in March 2020. There are currently 292 people hospitalized for covid in the state, with 58 of those in intensive care units and 44 on ventilators.
In Allegheny County, 29 covid patients are in facilities, with eight in ICUs and 10 on a ventilator.
In Westmoreland County, seven people are in the hospital, with two of those in ICUs and none on ventilators.
Chris Pastrick is a Tribune-Review digital producer. You can contact Chris at 412-320-7898, cpastrick@triblive.com or via Twitter .
"low" - Google News
July 07, 2021 at 11:05PM
https://ift.tt/3ywbS1f
Pennsylvania's covid cases remain low, despite slight uptick in positivity rates - TribLIVE
"low" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2z1WHDx
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Pennsylvania's covid cases remain low, despite slight uptick in positivity rates - TribLIVE"
Post a Comment