Pa. Coronavirus updates: 570 new cases; death toll reaches 7,500; how to prevent contact scams | Pa. COVID-19 county case map (19/19/20)

The COVID-19 cause of death in Pennsylvania officially crossed 7,500 on Wednesday.

Also, 570 new cases of coronavirus were reported, continuing a general downward trend this month. That brings the total number of coronavirus cases in the state to 126,149, while the 24 additional deaths put the death toll at 7,523, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s daily report.

(Can’t see the map? Click here.)

Locally, the Lehigh Valley, which reported no new deaths on Wednesday, has fallen after falling rates that have not been seen simultaneously in both counties since the early days of the pandemic.

And if schools reopen, contact tracing will be an important element in coronavirus preservation. With the state preparing for an app contact tracking app, the Wolf administration recently issued tips to prevent scammers from mistaking positions as state workers.

Here are your updates for Pennsylvania coronavirus for August 19, 2020.

(Can’t see the chart? Click here.)

Coronavirus in Pa..

The seven-day average of new cases is generally trending downward, starting at 902 cases per day on average.

As of Wednesday, the state averaged 717 cases per day in the last week, down from 774 at this time last week.

(Can’t see the chart? Click here.)

The seven-day average of hospital performances also has a downward trend this month, after seeing a slight uptick in July. The weekly average of daily tests has fallen, but so has the positivity rate.

Rising, however, is the rate of COVID-19 deaths in Pennsylvania. On average, 20 Pennsylvania residents died each day from the virus in the past week. The rate is even from a week ago and up from 13 at the beginning of August.

(Can’t see the chart? Click here.)

At least 170,000 Americans have died from COVID-19. Pennsylvania is among nine states that each have more than 5,000 deaths, according to the latest data from the CDC, which may lag behind some states.

MORE: COVID-19 in Pa. Follow up with data, interactive charts

Coronavirus in the Lehigh Valley

The Lehigh Valley had 16 new cases and no new deaths in Wednesday’s state report, bringing the region officially to 9,115 cases and 637 deaths.

This breaks to:

• 5,093 total cases and 341 deaths in Lehigh County, with eight new cases and no deaths reported in the last day.
• 4,022 total cases and 296 deaths in Northampton County, with eight new cases and no deaths reported in the last day.

(Can’t see the chart? Click here.)

The seven-day average of daily cases in both Lehigh Valley counties is one of the lowest seen here since late March, when cases began to increase exponentially.

Lehigh County has averaged 10 cases per day in the past week, up from 19 a week ago. The province’s seven-day average has not been below 10 since March 26, around the time the Lehigh Valley was closed.

Northampton County averaged nine cases per day on average last week, which is even with this point last week. The seven-day rate has dropped to some figures in the county beforehand, but has not dropped below nine since March 26.

Here’s how the neighboring counties of Pennsylvania of the Lehigh Valley sailed with the coronavirus, from state data Wednesday:

• Berks County has 5,683 total cases and 376 deaths, with 38 new cases and one death reported in the last day.
• Bucks County has 7,441 total cases and 584 deaths, with 23 new cases and no deaths reported in the last day.
• Carbon County has 408 total cases and 28 deaths, with two new cases and no deaths reported in the last day.
• Monroe County has 1,671 total cases and 125 deaths, with one new case and no deaths reported in the last day.
• Montgomery County has 10,523 total cases and 860 deaths, with 43 new cases and one death reported in the last day.
• Schuylkill County has 957 total cases and 51 deaths, with five new cases and no deaths reported in the last day.

(Can’t see the table? Click here.)

How can you identify a contact scam?

Contact tracing is an important part of coronavirus containment, the process of identifying and notifying people who are exposed to a positive patient.

A contact tracing app for contact tracing is scheduled to launch next month in Pennsylvania. The state has a team of more than 1,000 contacts statewide (and they hire more). Staff and volunteers reach out to potential blocks via an initial phone call and follow up via interviews, texts, emails and mailings.

But some scammers may try to impersonate a contact person in an attempt to obtain sensitive information from potential victims. The state recently issued tips for residents to identify a real contact person from a fake.

A contact tracer sieve verify your date of birth, address and telephone number, and, if you have already tested positive for COVID-19, the date and location of your coronavirus test. Information is not shared with any legislators.

A contact tracer sieve net ask for your social security number, financial information, photos, passwords or payment. They will not ask for personal information via text message or send you a link to a website requesting it.

If you would like to verify the contact person you named as legitimate, call the Pennsylvania Department of Health at 1-877-PA HEALTH (1-877-724-3258).

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Steve Novak can be reached at [email protected].