Lehigh County ranks 4th in state in vaccination rate

The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 3,584 additional coronavirus cases Wednesday. The seven-day moving average of newly reported cases was 4,238 cases per day, down 9.3% from a week ago, and down 7.9% over the last 30 days.

To date, there have been 1.52 million infections statewide.

Coronavirus case rates continue to decline throughout the country, as well as in most of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties, with 53 counties showing declining rates from week to week. Every county is still well above the 100 weekly population-adjusted cases used by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to define “high” community transmission.

The latest data from the CDC show the country is adding 159.3 cases each week for every 100,000 residents compared with about 340 weekly population-adjusted cases recorded at the start of September.

The nexus of the pandemic has shifted from the

Gulf Coast to the upper Midwest, with the highest rates now found in Montana (523.9), Wyoming (523.2), Idaho (493.9), Alaska (488.8) and North Dakota (459.9). All the top states are at least four times higher than the threshold for the CDC’s “high” community transmission classification. Pennsylvania’s rate is 231.8 weekly cases for every 100,000 residents.

The state reported 134 deaths Wednesday. The seven-day moving average of deaths per day is 70.4, compared with 72.3 a week ago, a decrease of 3% in the last seven days, and an increase of 67% over the last 30 days.

The latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows there are 7.63 million fully vaccinated people in Pennsylvania, accounting for 59.6% of the population. An additional 2.04 million people are in need of their follow-up shot. In total, 17 million shots have been put into the arms of 9.67 million people, or 75.6% of the state’s residents.

Included in those statewide numbers are 422,320 Lehigh Valley residents who are fully vaccinated, accounting for 62.6% of the local population. In total, 536,041 locals have received 805,030 shots in the arm, accounting for 79.5% of the Valley’s population.

With 65.2% of its total population fully vaccinated, Lehigh County ranks fourth of the state’s 67 counties, behind Montour (71.1%), Forest (67.9%) and Lackawanna (65.9%). Northampton County’s 59.4% of its residents fully vaccinated ranks as 11th highest.

The lowest rates are in Potter (30%), Fulton (30.3%), Bedford (34.2%), McKean (35.2%) and Bradford (37.9%)

An average of 42,511 vaccinations are being administered to Pennsylvania residents each day, according to CDC data. Of those, 20,546 are first doses. The number of total vaccinations per day is up 60.3% over the last 30 days. The number of first doses being given per day is up 55.3% over the last 30 days.

Combined data from the Pennsylvania and Philadelphia health departments show that 425,108 booster shots have been administered to Pennsylvanians, including 12,807 in Lehigh County and 11,312 in Northampton County.

There were 2,956 people hospitalized as of midday Wednesday compared with 3,025 Tuesday. Of those, 678 were in intensive care, and 398 were on ventilators. Statewide hospitalizations have held steady over the last week, and are up 26.3% in the last 30 days.

Hospitals in the Lehigh Valley reported 167 COVID-19 patients Wednesday compared with 165 Tuesday, including 32 in intensive care, and 19 on ventilators.

Hospitals in the five-county region including Lehigh, Northampton, Carbon, Schuylkill and Monroe report 242 patients, with 46 in intensive care, and 24 on ventilators. Regional hospitalizations have remained steady over the last week, and are up 10.8% in the last 30 days.

The Lehigh Valley reported 129 additional cases, 72 in Lehigh County and 57 in Northampton County. That brings the total to 91,645.

Seven new deaths (five in Lehigh County, and two in Northampton County) bring the total to 1,713 (930 in Lehigh, 783 in Northampton).

— Eugene Tauber