State rate of COVID-19 cases down in past week

The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 4,312 additional coronavirus cases Thursday. The sevenday moving average of newly reported cases was 3,877 cases per day, down 7.7% from a week ago, and down 16.8% over the last 30 days.

To date, there have been 1.55 million infections statewide.

Philadelphia maintains the lowest coronavirus infection rates in the state when adjusted for population, adding 90 cases per week for every 100,000 residents. That contrasts with Venango County’s 558.5 weekly cases per 100,000 residents.

Schuylkill County has overtaken Carbon for the highest rate in the counties surrounding the Lehigh Valley, adding 331.8 and 308.5 weekly cases, respectively.

The state reported 95 deaths Thursday. The seven-day moving average of deaths per day is 68.1, compared with 68.4 a week ago, virtually unchanged in the last seven days.

The latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows there are 7.7 million fully vaccinated people in Pennsylvania, accounting for 60.2% of the population. An additional 2.11 million people are in need of their follow-up shot. In total, 17.3 million shots have been put into the arms of 9.82 million people, or 76.7% of the state’s residents.

Included in those statewide numbers are 425,983 Lehigh Valley residents who are fully vaccinated, accounting for

63.1% of the local population. In total, 542,400 local people have received 805,030 shots in the arm, accounting for 80.4% of the Valley’s population.

An average of 49,729 vaccinations are being administered to Pennsylvania residents each day, according to CDC data. Of those, 23,089 are first doses. The number of total vaccinations per day is up 98.2% over the last 30 days. The number of first doses being given per day is up 89.1% over the last 30 days.

Data combined from the state and Philadelphia health departments show that 651,641 booster shots have been administered throughout the state since Aug. 13, including 36,819 in the Lehigh Valley.

About 29% of vaccinations administered throughout the state since then have been booster shots. In the Lehigh Valley, more than one-third — 37% — have been booster shots. Since Lehigh County has the fourth-highest rate of full vaccinations — 65.8% of the total population, and Northampton County ranks 11th in the state with 59.9% of its total population fully vaccinated, the two counties have a large pool of people eligible for boosters.

There were 2,742 people hospitalized as of midday Thursday, compared with 2,838 Wednesday. Of those, 678 were in intensive care, and 367 were on ventilators. Statewide hospitalizations have decreased 4.8% over the last week, but are up 5.9% in the last 30 days.

Hospitals in the Lehigh Valley reported 143 COVID-19 patients Thursday compared with 135 Wednesday, including 38 in intensive care, and 22 on ventilators.

Hospitals in the five-county region including Lehigh, Northampton, Carbon, Schuylkill and Monroe report 211 patients, with 54 in intensive care, and 26 on ventilators. Regional hospitalizations have decreased 9.5% over the last week, and are down 6.2% in the last 30 days.

The Lehigh Valley reported 204 additional cases, 91 in Lehigh County and 113 in Northampton County. That brings the total to 92,859.

One new death, in Northampton County, brings the total to 1,731 (937 in Lehigh, 794 in Northampton).