4,882 additional cases, 40 deaths

By Anthony Salamone and Eugene Tauber

The state Department of Health reported 4,882 additional coronavirus cases on Saturday.

The seven-day moving average of newly reported cases was 4,318, up 14% from 3,779 a week ago, and up more than 78% over the last 30 days.

Northampton County, at No. 4, and Lehigh County, which is 10th, rank in the top 10 of the seven-day average cases per 100,000 people, according to state data. Other counties at or near the top 10 are Monroe (3), Bucks (7), Berks (9) and Carbon (12).

Northeast Pennsylvania has been the hot spot for infections, with Wyoming County topping the state ranking with 72 cases per 100,000 population. Wyoming supplanted Northampton and has had the highest daily average for 11 days.

To date, there have been nearly 1.07 million infections statewide since the start of the pandemic.

Hospitals in the Lehigh Valley reported stable numbers, with a total of 176 COVID-19 patients, 38 of whom are in intensive care beds, and 21 on ventilators. There were 180 COVID-19 patients reported Friday.

County, compared with two the day before. No death was reported in Lehigh County, bringing the total to 1,497 (812 in Lehigh, and 685 in Northampton).

Vaccinations: There have 383,696 vaccinations administered to 254,073 people in the two counties, or about 46% of the eligible population. schedule multiple vaccination appointments to cancel any unused ones. That helps ensure vaccine doses get into the arms of more people, she said.

“All three available vaccines are safe and effective, and we need folks to get the first available vaccine,” Beam said in a news release.

“If you have scheduled appointments at numerous places as part of your attempt to get vaccinated, please remember to call those other locations and cancel the remaining appointments. You can let them know that you have been vaccinated.”

Morning Call reporter Anthony Salamone can be reached at 610-8206694 or asalamone@mcall.com.