State reports 7,962 cases as record hospitalizations surpass 6,000

Pennsylvania reported on Monday a two-day total of 18,646 additional cases of the coronavirus, with a record 6,026 people hospitalized as of noon.

The state Health Department said 10,684 additional cases were added Sunday and 7,962 on Monday, bringing the total number since the pandemic began to 499,764.

The seven-day moving average of newly reported cases was 10,474, up 13% from 9,283 a week ago.

And as the nation passed 300,000 deaths, according to a Johns Hopkins University tracking site, Pennsylvania reported 129 deaths Sunday and 55 Monday, bringing the total to 12,620.

But this week brings a glimmer of hope, as the first vaccines from Pfizerbegin to arrive. At anonline news briefing Monday, Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine said 97,500 doses will be distributed to 83 hospitals across the state this week.

“Today is a new chapter in this fight,” Levine said. “We need people to stand together to stop the spread of the virus. We need people to answer the call and wear am ask, avoid large and small gathering sand stay home .”

Philadelphia will receive its ownvaccine shipment.

“It is tremendously exciting to get these vaccines,” Levinesaid. “It is tremendously satisfying but we need to be realistic because it will take a significant amount of time to roll out the vaccines.”

The hospitals that will receive the vaccines this week are those that can provide the specialized storage it requires. The vaccine must be kept at minus 70 degrees Celsius. To compare, that’s colder than winter in Antarctica.

The Lehigh Valley’s two major health networks — Lehigh Valley Health Network and St. Luke’s University Health Network — are both equipped to store the ultracold vaccines and distribute them on a mass scale, officials told The Morning Call last month.

Levine said she disagrees with any notion that the process of approving the vaccine was rushed in any way.

“They have gone through the same full clinical trials that other vaccines go through,” she said.

This week, the Food and Drug Administration will holdhearings on a second vaccine, by Moderna, before possibly giving emergency authorization for its use and distribution.

Levine said if that vaccine is approved, it will roll out to Pennsylvania hospitals as well.

The vast majority of Pennsylvanians fall into Phase 3 of the vaccine rollout, which Levine estimates will happen by summer.

Until then, Levine reminded Pennsylvanians to wear masks, social distance and avoid gatherings.

Here are more details from the daily update:

Deaths

There were 129 deaths reported Sunday and 55 Monday. Longterm care center residents account for 59% of all the state’s deaths. In the Lehigh Valley, there were no new deaths reported Monday, compared with two the day before. That brings the total to 784 in Lehigh and Northampton counties.

Hospitalizations

By midday Monday, 6,026 people were hospitalized with the virus, compared with 5,970 Sunday. Of those, 697 were on ventilators, and 1,249 were in intensive care.

Thetrendin the 14-day moving average of number of hospitalized patients per day has increased by over 4,900 since the end of September.

Lehigh Valley

There were 521 additional cases reported in the Lehigh Valley (295 in Lehigh County, 226 in Northampton County). That brings the total to 28,255 since the pandemic began.

Testing

Statewide percent positivity for the week of Dec. 4-10 was 16.2%.

There were 23,317 people who received test results Sunday, with 33.3% of them testing positive, compared with 33.1% Saturday. The overall positive test rate is 13% since the state’s first cases were reported March 7.