Pennsylvania on Saturday reported 1,162 new coronavirus cases — a whopping 402-case jump from yesterday’s 760.
The state Department of Health reported 22 new deaths attributed to the coronavirus after posting 21 on Friday. Wednesday’s total of 28 deaths was the highest of the week.
Of the 22 deaths reported Saturday, one came from May, one from July and 21 from September. The state also removed a death from July.
The total number of covid-19 deaths in Pennsylvania is 7,956.
The new data brings the total cases to 149,845. Officials said 912 are considered probable cases.
The state said there were 175,962 people tested from Sept. 12 to Sept. 18, with 5,798 positive cases — for a 3.3% positivity rate.
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 comprised 5% of the new cases in April, while accounting for 28% of the cases thus far in September.
“We know that congregation, especially in college and university settings, yields increased case counts. The mitigation efforts in place now are essential to flattening the curve and saving lives,” said Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine.
She urges people to continue to exercise caution when in public — mainly by maintaining social distance and wearing masks.
Nearly 1.75 million people in the state have tested negative for the virus; in total about 1.9 million people have been tested for the virus in the state.
The positivity rate is 7.9%.
As of Saturday, 82% of people who tested positive have recovered from the virus, state officials said.
According to the Health Department, the most severe cases are seen in patients over the age of 65.
In nursing and personal care homes alone, there have been 22,277 cases in residents and 4,869 cases in employees.
There have been 5,354 deaths at nursing and personal care homes. These deaths account for 67.3% of the state’s total. About 958 nursing facilities have been affected by the virus.
Of the total, 10,344 coronavirus cases stem from health care workers.
