Pennsylvania reported 1,126 new cases of COVID-19 the same weekend, the most populated areas of the state entered the green phase.
The Lehigh Valley along with Scranton, Erie and the Philadelphia area moved into the state’s least restrictive phase of reopening on Friday.
On Friday, coronavirus cases in Pennsylvania rose by 600, the largest single-day rise in two weeks, and reached 621 on Saturday before dropping to 505 on Sunday. The seven-day moving average of new cases has been steadily increasing, but part of this may reflect increased testing.
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Pennsylvania now totals 85,496 cases of COVID-19 with 6,606 deaths since the virus first appeared here on March 6.
Coronavirus cases in the US have increased to record daily numbers as some states reopen.
The Secretary of State for Health, Dr. Rachel Levine, emphasized the importance of wearing masks, handwashing and social distancing in updating the department’s Sunday data.
“Pennsylvania has been a model for the country on how to reopen effectively using a careful and measured approach,” Levine said, calling for caution. “However, the virus has not disappeared.”
Here are your Pennsylvania coronavirus updates for June 28, 2020.
Coronavirus in Pa.
With the 1,126 new coronavirus cases reported this weekend, Pennsylvania’s total number of cases has now exceeded 85,000. An additional 27 deaths were also reported, bringing the state’s number of COVID-19 deaths to 6,606.
The health department has said the increasing rate of new cases in the past week is due, at least in part, to an increase in patients who have previously shown no symptoms and to a mandatory testing program in the state’s nursing homes.
Pennsylvania’s daily positive testing rate has continued to decline as the state increases its testing capabilities and reopens the economy. Health experts say high positivity rates, such as those seen in Arizona, Texas, and Florida, indicate that a community is only heavily evaluating the sickest patients and the mildest or symptom-free cases.
The World Health Organization informs governments that before reopening test rates they must remain at 5% or less for at least two weeks.
The seven-day moving average for the entire state of Pennsylvania has been below 5% since June 14.
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We should expect to see the number of daily tests increase as the state’s 693 nursing homes screen all residents and staff for the virus by July 24, in accordance with the mandate of the Pennsylvania Department of Health. As long as positive test rates and hospitalization rates remain low, it is not necessarily cause for alarm.
This weekend, the National Guard returned to Gracedale to help the Upper Nazareth Township Nursing Home evaluate all of its staff and residents. Guardsmen assisted Gracedale during the height of the local pandemic.
With 688 beds, Gracedale is Pennsylvania’s largest nursing home operating under one roof. There are currently 521 residents and about 700 employees.
To date, 235 Gracedale residents and 50 employees have tested positive for COVID-19, and 71 residents have died, according to the latest state data.
This makes Gracedale one of the most affected nursing homes in the country, according to a database of nursing home deaths compiled by The New York Times.
The Times ranks Gracedale the 12th highest in the nation for virus deaths, but the 63 deaths it reports do not reflect the most current state figures.
COVID- 19 deaths and data changes
The Health Department has stopped updating its COVID-19 control panel over the weekend.
This weekend, it still issued daily press releases and county-by-county case counts.
The state reported 24 new deaths on Saturday and three more on Sunday, but only provided a breakdown of the county on Saturday.
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In Pennsylvania, the majority of hospitalizations and deaths have been in residents over the age of 65, according to state data. Long-term care facility residents account for 17,677 cases of COVID-19, about 21% of the state’s total, and 4,528 deaths, 68% of the death toll in Pennsylvania.
The health department estimates that 78% of Pennsylvania residents have so far recovered from the coronavirus. To date, 657,486 tests have been negative.
Coronavirus in the Lehigh Valley
As of Sunday, the Lehigh Valley has recorded 7,603 coronavirus cases and 557 deaths, with 56 cases and at least six deaths in the past two days, according to state data. That breaks down into:
- 4,205 cases and 292 deaths in Lehigh County.
- 3,377 cases and 265 deaths in Northampton County.
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Counties themselves have reported at least 560 deaths, with an average age of more than 80 years.
During the duration of the pandemic, the Lehigh Valley and surrounding counties have seen some of the highest coronavirus case densities in Pennsylvania.
(Can’t see this graph? Click here.)
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Sara K. Satullo can be contacted at [email protected].
