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Coronavirus cases in Pennsylvania have exceeded 110,000 as the rate of new infections continues to rise.
The 834 new positives reported Wednesday put the state’s total case count at 110,218 since the pandemic was first identified here in March. An additional 16 deaths were reported, bringing the number of Pa. COVID-19 deaths to 7,162.
(Can’t see the map? Click here.)
Locally, the Lehigh Valley has passed a third consecutive day with no reports of coronavirus-related deaths. But the Valley’s two counties also saw 68 new cases combined, most in weeks.
Meanwhile, the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations statewide reached its highest level since June with at least 50 new patients on the last day, according to Wednesday data from the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
Here are their Pennsylvania coronavirus updates for July 29, 2020.
Pa. Coronavirus outbreak
The rate of Pennsylvania coronavirus cases has increased since mid-June. As of Wednesday, the seven-day average of new cases was 975 and it rose. The rate has not reached 1,000 since May.
(Can’t see the graph? Click here.)
The state’s largest cities again led Wednesday’s daily case counts. Pittsburgh’s Allegheny County had 125 new cases and Philadelphia had 111, according to state figures.
The Delaware County Philadelphia suburb, which increased more than 100 new cases the day before, reported 62 on Wednesday. Only one other county, Montgomery, had more than 50.
The health department estimates that 75% of Pennsylvania coronavirus patients have so far recovered. Young adults comprise a higher percentage of cases in the past few weeks, but residents over 65 still account for the majority of hospitalizations and deaths.
(Can’t see the graph? Click here.)
COVID-19 testing has increased overall, but so has Pennsylvania’s positive test rate. The lower rates show that tests are capturing the full spread of the virus in a community. High positivity rates indicate that only the sickest people are being tested.
Pennsylvania’s positivity rate is 6.1%. The World Health Organization recommends a rate of 5% or less when considering the economic reopening.
(Can’t see the graph? Click here.)
(Lehighvalleylive.com calculated the Pennsylvania rate by taking all new cases in the past seven days divided by tests performed, not counting duplicate tests, the same method used by Johns Hopkins University. The health department lists a higher rate. low based on all tests performed)
PLUS: How to understand Pa. COVID-19 data with interactive graphics
Blow in the hospitalizations of COVID-19
In one day, about 50 more people were admitted to Pennsylvania hospitals with COVID-19 infections, according to data available Wednesday. That seems to be the biggest hurdle in weeks. At least 756 Pennsylvania residents are now hospitalized with the infection.
The state’s seven-day hospitalization rate, 723 as of Wednesday, has increased since it hit its lowest point, 611, earlier this month. Some 2,800 Pennsylvania residents were hospitalized at the peak in April.
(Can’t see the graph? Click here.)
“I think this is to be expected,” health department spokesman Nate Wardle told lehighvalleylive.com. “We know that hospitalizations start to increase a few weeks after the cases, and that is what we are seeing. The resurgence of cases is now in much of the southern part of the state, which is why it is so essential that people wear a mask, social distancing, avoid large gatherings, wash their hands and stay home if they are sick. ” .
Nationwide, hospitalization statistics have become erratic, according to The Atlantic’s COVID Monitoring Project, due to changes in the reporting system, as hospitals must provide numbers directly to the Department of Health and Human Services of the US instead of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Wardle said the Pennsylvania health department receives its data directly from hospitals and submits it to the federal government on its behalf.
Coronavirus in the Lehigh Valley
The Lehigh Valley has had no coronavirus-related deaths in the past three days and reported two deaths in the past seven days, according to state-level data.
However, Wednesday’s daily case count of 68 for both Valle counties was the highest since June 20. (The counties also combined 67 cases on Saturday.) Northampton County has opened a new testing center, but most of the cases reported Wednesday come from Lehigh County.
As of Wednesday, the Lehigh Valley totals 8,581 cases and 624 deaths. That breaks down into:
- 4,775 cases and 335 deaths in Lehigh County, an increase of 42 cases on Wednesday.
- 3,806 cases and 289 deaths in Northampton County, an increase of 26 cases on Wednesday.
(Can’t you see the table? Click here.)
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Steve Novak can be contacted at [email protected].
