6,600 more cases includes backlog
Pennsylvania said it is following federal guidance by putting a temporary hold on the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine during an investigation into reports of unusual blood clots in six women. More than 6.8 million Americans have received the single-shot J&J vaccine so far. The Health Department told all COVID-19 vaccine providers in the state to stop administering it until at least April 20.
The Wolf administration had reserved its initial allotment of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine for educators. The vast majority of the 4.2 million Pennsylvania residents who have been vaccinated received either the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine, which are unaffected by the pause.
The Health Department also reported 6,638 additional coronavirus cases on Tuesday — its highest one-day total since the end of January.
However, the figure includes a large number of “probable” cases in some counties, including Berks, Bucks and Montgomery. A Health Department spokesperson confirmed to The Morning Call that an unspecified number of backlogged reports from urgent care centers were included in Tuesday’s figures, bloating the total.
The seven-day moving average of newly reported cases was 4,630, up 10% from 4,194 a week ago, which is only about one-fourth the rate of increase the state experienced at the end of March, even including Tuesday’s bump. The rate is about 84% higher than it was a month ago. To date, there have been 1.08 million infections statewide since the start of the pandemic.
The Health Department’s announced pause in the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will have little effect on vaccination programs this week, since the U.S. Centers for Disease Control cut this week’s allocations by more than 85% after a manufacturing blunder in a Baltimore facility prompted the trashing of more than 15 million doses. Pennsylvania got a record 192,700 Johnson & Johnson doses last week, but is slated for only 22,800 this week. The CDC is expected to announce the allocation amounts for next week sometime Tuesday.
More than 7.12 million vaccinations have been administered to 4.26 million people statewide, according to combined data from the Philadelphia and state health departments, pushing the state to 40.7% of its 16-and-over population that have gotten at least one shot. About 2.86 million people — 27.3% of those eligible for vaccination — are fully inoculated against COVID, with another 1.4 million waiting for their second shot.
The Lehigh Valley can boast that almost 48% of its eligible residents — 261,000 people — have gotten at least one of the 407,000 vaccinations administered locally. More than 145,000 Valley residents — 26.5% of those eligible — are fully vaccinated, and another 116,000 — 21% of those at least 16 years old — have gotten the first of their two required shots.
The state reported 66 deaths Tuesday. The seven-day moving average of deaths per day is 34, compared with 27 a week ago.
There were 2,541 people hospitalized as of midday Tuesday, compared with 2,474 Monday. Of those, 260 were on ventilators and 530 were in intensive care beds. The seven-day moving average of statewide hospitalizations is up 9.4%, the lowest increase in about two weeks.
There are 183 COVID patients hospitalized in the Lehigh Valley, with 36 in intensive care and 25 on ventilators.
The Lehigh Valley reported 492 additional cases Tuesday, 244 in Lehigh County and 248 in Northampton County. That brings the total to 68,470.
Two new deaths, both in Lehigh County, bring the total to 1,499 (814 in Lehigh and 685 in Northampton).