Pennsylvania on Saturday reported 4,035 new coronavirus cases — a whopping 651 case jump from the previous record set just the day before.
The state also reported 40 new deaths.
The total number of covid-19 deaths in Pennsylvania is 9,015.
The new data bring the total cases to 227,985. Officials said 12,248 are considered probable cases.
The state said there were 310,410 people tested from Sunday to Friday with 18,433 positive cases — for a 6% positivity rate.
Out of the new cases, 288 — or 7.1% — are from Allegheny County.
Officials have noted an increase in new cases from the 19- to 24-year-old age group.
For example, in Southwestern Pennsylvania that age group only made up 5% of the new cases in April, while accounting for 10% of the cases through the month of October.
“We know that congregation, especially in college and university settings, yields increased case counts,” said Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine. “The mitigation efforts in place now are essential to flattening the curve and saving lives.”
She urges people to continue to exercise caution when in public — mainly by maintaining social distance and wearing masks.
About 2.42 million people in Pennsylvania have tested negative for the virus; in total, just over than 2.65 million people have been tested for the virus in the state.
The positivity rate is 8.6%.
As of Saturday, 74% of people who tested positive have recovered, state officials said.
According to the Health Department, the most severe cases are seen in patients over the age of 65. This group accounts for the largest age demographic for both hospitalizations and deaths.
In nursing and personal care homes, there have been 27,333 cases in residents and 5,849 in employees.
There have been 5,906 deaths at nursing and personal care homes. These deaths account for nearly 65.5% of the state’s total. About 1,115 nursing facilities have been affected by the virus.
Of the total, 12,883 coronavirus cases stem from health care workers.
