New case rate continues to climb
The state Department of Health reported 3,933 additional coronavirus cases Sunday and 2,718 on Monday.
The seven-day moving average of newly reported cases was 4,305, up 12% from 3,833 a week ago and up almost 75% from 30 days ago. To date, there have been 1.045 million infections statewide since the start of the pandemic.
While case counts have been climbing throughout the state over the last three weeks, the 10 counties in the state’s northeastern health care region, which includes the Lehigh Valley, has the highest rate of additional cases when adjusted for population. It has added 572 cases for every 100,000 residents over the last 14 days. The 13 counties in the northwest region that includes Erie have the lowest rate at 258 cases per 100,000 over 14 days.
Wyoming County, with a population of about 27,000, added 28 cases Sunday, the highest number it’s recorded in one day since the beginning of the pandemic in March of last year. Pike County, with about 56,000 people, set a one-day record March 24 with 50 additional cases. No other county has hit its high mark since January, with most counties recording their peaks in mid-December.
A Health Department spokesperson declined to cite specifics about the cases in Wyoming County because of confidentiality constraints but did note that there has been only one case reported in a long-term care facility in the past week. According to data from the Health Department and the Human Services Department, there are 211 licensed beds in the county’s four long-term care facilities.
Five deaths were reported Monday, and seven Sunday. The seven-day moving average of deaths per day is 26, compared with 32 a week ago.
Almost 37% of eligible Pennsylvanians — 3.86 million people — have received a COVID vaccine, according to combined reports from the Philadelphia and state health departments. The state reported a record 137,895 vaccinations administered April 1 and is averaging about 100,000 shots in arms each day. Vaccinators have three days to transmit their data to the state.
There are more than 2.3 million people fully vaccinated and another 1.5 million waiting for their second shot, representing 22.2% and 14.6% of the 16-and-older population that is eligible to receive a shot.
The Lehigh Valley continues to best the statewide rates, recording more than 42% of its eligible population — 231,633 people — who have received at least their first inoculation. There are 124,240 Valley residents — 22.6% of those eligible — who are fully immunized against COVID, and another 107,393 people — almost 20% of those eligible —who are awaiting their second jab.
There were 2,247 people hospitalized as of midday Monday, compared with 2,202 Sunday. Of those, 225 were on ventilators, and 427 were in intensive care beds. Statewide, hospitalizations are up more than 18% over the last week, and have been rising for the past 18 days.
Local hospital systems report 183 COVID patients, with 29 intensive care patients, of which 13 are on ventilators. The numbers are about the same as on Sunday.
The Lehigh Valley reported 215 additional cases, 115 in Lehigh County and 100 in Northampton County. That brings the total to 66,046.
No new deaths were reported in Lehigh or Northampton counties over the weekend. There have been 1,489 total deaths, (808 in Lehigh, and 681 in Northampton).