Lehigh Valley sees 174 new cases, 7 deaths; Wolf renews disaster declaration
The Pennsylvania Department of Health on Saturday reported 2,818 additional coronavirus cases, up 40 from Friday, with slight increases as well in the Lehigh Valley. To date, there have been 911,591 infections statewide since the start of the pandemic nearly one year ago.
The seven-day moving average of newly reported cases was 2,750 on Saturday, down 28%, or from 3,820 a week ago. The seven-day moving average declined on all but four days thus far in February. It stood Saturday at just over one-fourth its all-time peak in mid-December, with the state averaging 10,579 cases Dec. 16.
Despite the state seeing a recent decline in infections and hospitalizations, Gov. Tom Wolf has signed his fourth extension of COVID-19 disaster declaration.
Here are more details from Saturday’s update.
Deaths
Overall: 90 new deaths, compared with 67 on Friday, bringing the total to 23,570. The state’s average daily death toll stood at 71, a rate not seen since Nov. 28, but far higher than 12 deaths per day in early August.
Senior care: Eight new deaths in nursing or personal care facilities, compared with 88 Friday. That brings the total to 12,223, accounting for 51.9% of the state’s overall death total.
Testing
There were 10,276 new tests, for a positive test rate of 21.7%, compared with 20.5% the day before. The overall positive test rate is 17.1% since the state’s first cases were reported March 6.
Lehigh Valley
Cases: There were 174 new cases (76 in Lehigh County, 98 in Northampton County), compared with 199 the day before. That brings the total to 56,179.
Deaths: There were seven new deaths (two in Lehigh County, five in Northampton County), compared with four the day before. That brings the total to 1,376.
Other developments
■ Wolf has signed another renewal of the state’s disaster declaration, even as state lawmakers hope to curtail some of his broad powers in emergencies. On Friday, Wolf signed a 90-day extension of the disaster emergency. He signed the first order March 6, the day the first COVID-19 cases were reported in Pennsylvania. The disaster declaration allows state agencies to respond to the pandemic more quickly, Wolf has said.
■ Northampton County’s lead in new-case rates, when adjusted for population, fell Saturday. Montour County came in at 38.4 cases per day per 100,000 people, averaged over seven days. Northampton County, which on Friday stood at 42.1 cases, ranked second Saturday at 37.8. Northampton’s cases rose due in large part to an outbreak among Lehigh University students, who were responsible for nearly 3 out of 10 new cases.