Virus death toll nears 8K; Pa. offers Penn State, Bloomsburg areas help

Pennsylvania reported 760 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, bringing the state total to 148,683, the Department of Health said.

An additional 21 deaths brought the toll to 7,934.

Lehigh County reported one new death and 13 new cases. Northampton County had no deaths and 20 new cases.

The percent of patients testing positive statewide declined for the second day, from 6.3% to 5.5%. The percent positive over seven days is 6.3%. To date, 1.73 million patients have tested negative.

Meanwhile, Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine said in a statement that testing clinics will be held in Centre and Columbia counties beginning next Friday in a bid to halt the rapid rise in cases in those areas.

The counties are home to Penn State and Bloomsburg University, respectively. College campuses across the country have been hard hit by the virus.

“Since the beginning of September, we have seen an increase of 1,109 cases in Centre County and 173 cases in Columbia County, which gives us significant cause for concern,” Levine said. “These testing sites will be open to anyone who feels they need a test. It is important that even people with no symptoms who test positive isolate and quarantine to stop the spread of COVID-19.”

In addition, Levine offered Centre County officials additional assistance.

“I have directed my staff to assist Centre County in identifying localized containment and mitigation efforts to reduce the spread and facilitate communications between large employers, county officials and local governments,” Levine said. “This group will work together to develop strategic recommendations tailored to this specific area to stop the spread of COVID-19.”

This will be a concentrated, short-term effort that will include focused meetings with the county representatives and municipality partners independently. Once these meetings are held, joint meetings will occur with all partners to determine the best steps to assist the county.

The schedule for testing in Centre and Columbia counties is 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sept. 25, 26, 29 and 30 and Oct. 1-3.

Centre County testing is at Nittany Mall, 2633 E. College Ave., State College. Columbia County testing is at the Bloomsburg Fairgrounds on West Fort McClure Boulevard.

Up to 500 registered patients can be tested per day at no cost on a first-come, first-served basis. Patients are not required to show symptoms of COVID19 in order to be tested. No appointment is necessary, but a photo ID or insurance card is required. Registration will also be completed on-site.