Nearly 6,000 virus cases added over the weekend

The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 2,317 additional coronavirus cases Saturday, 2,188 Sunday and 1,446 on Monday for a three-day total of 5,951. The seven-day moving average of newly reported cases was 2,001, up 35% from a week ago, and up 550% over the last 30 days.

To date, there have been 1.25 million infections statewide.

Northampton County, which for two weeks has had the highest population-adjusted case rate of the state’s 67 counties, saw its rate increase from 138.2 a week ago to 174.3 Monday. The rate measures the number of cases added over the last seven days for each 100,000 residents.

But that increase was surpassed by Dauphin County’s recent spike, moving from 103.8 a week ago to 183.6 Monday — a 77% increase in one week.

In actual case numbers, that translates to 532 additional cases in a week for Northampton and 511 for Dauphin.

Lehigh County’s 502 cases over the last seven days give it a population-adjusted rate of 135.9, up from 95.6 last Monday.

The Lehigh Valley and Pennsylvania continue to be substantially under the national case rate, which is being swelled by relentless surges in case rates in Louisiana (879.2), Florida (706), Mississippi (695.4), Arkansas (526.8) and Alabama (422.1).

Those five states account for about 250,000 cases over the last week, 30% of the national total of 836,664, including all states and territories, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The state reported nine deaths Saturday, and none Sunday or Monday. The seven-day moving average of deaths per day is nine, compared with 6.6 a week ago, an increase of 37% in the last seven days.

The latest data from the CDC show there are 6.87 million fully vaccinated people in Pennsylvania, accounting for 54% of the population. An additional 1.77 million people are in need of their follow-up shot. In total, 14.96 million shots have been put into the arms of 8.63 million people, or 67% of the state’s residents.

Included in those statewide numbers are 378,471 Lehigh Valley residents who are fully vaccinated, accounting for 56.1% of the local population. In total, 483,493 locals have received 748,695 shots in the arm, accounting for 71.7% of the Valley’s population.

An average of 25,092 vaccinations are being administered to Pennsylvania residents each day, according to CDC data. Of those, 16,420 are first doses. The number of total vaccinations per day is up 38.8% over the last 30 days. The number of first doses being given per day is up 85.2% over the last 30 days.

There were 1,115 people hospitalized as of midday Monday, compared with 1,064 Sunday. Of those, 301 were in intensive care, and 128 were on ventilators.

Statewide hospitalizations have increased 40.9% over the last week, and are up 292% in the last 30 days.

Hospitals in the five-county region including Lehigh, Northampton, Carbon, Schuylkill and Monroe report 102 patients, with 30 in intensive care, and eight on ventilators.

The Lehigh Valley reported 134 additional cases Monday, 71 in Lehigh County and 63 in Northampton County. That brings the total to 78,608. There have been 1,597 local COVID-related deaths (874 in Lehigh, and 723 in Northampton).

— Eugene Tauber