State inoculates 602K in week

More J&J vaccine doses announced for Pa. next week

Reports from the state and Philadelphia health departments show that 601,805 vaccinations were administered throughout the state over the seven days ending March 9. Providers have three days to report their numbers. March 5 was the busiest day of the week with 112,639 arms being jabbed.

The numbers do not include vaccinations administered in nursing homes or in federal facilities such as veterans’ health facilities, military bases and prisons.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Friday morning that more doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be coming into Pennsylvania next week, but only a fraction of the amount in the first tranche from two weeks ago. The 66 counties administered by the state Health Department will get 13,000 more doses of the new one-shot vaccine, which is being reserved for education and child care employees. An additional 1,800 doses will go to Philadelphia, which is administered separately by the CDC.

That compares with 94,600 doses for the state and 13,100 for Philadelphia allotted March 1, a decrease of 86%. There were no shipments of the new vaccine this week.

A report updated Friday morning shows that more than 334,000 first and second doses of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines were checked in by 457 providers outside Philadelphia this week. That compares with more than 438,000 doses checked in by more than 600 providers last week. About 25,000 of those doses were received by 15 providers in Lehigh and Northampton counties.

Health Department spokesperson Barry Ciccocioppo told reporters this week that demand for vaccines is far outstripping supply, and that more than 2,000 providers have requested to participate in the program. This week, fewer than 1 out of 4 got any supplies.

Cases

The state Department of Health reported 3,074 additional coronavirus cases on Friday. The seven-day moving average of newly reported cases was 2,466, down 3% from 2,551 a week ago.

To date, there have been 961,456 infections statewide since the start of the pandemic a year ago.

Deaths

Overall: 40 compared with 51 on Thursday. The seven-day moving average of deaths per day is 38, compared with 46 a week ago.

Senior care: 39 compared with 83 on Thursday. That brings the total to 12,754, accounting for 52% of the state’s 24,530 deaths.

Hospitalizations

There were 1,463 people hospitalized as of midday Friday compared with 1,494 Thursday. Of those, 313 were in intensive care units, and 165 were on ventilators.

Local hospitals reported 115 COVID patients Friday, the same total as the day before. Of those, 22 were intensive care patients and 11 people were on ventilators.

Testing

There were 11,332 test results reported Friday, with 18.6% of them positive, compared with 20.7% on Thursday.

The overall positive test rate is 17.1% since the state’s first cases were reported March 6.

Lehigh Valley

Cases: 240 additional case reports, with 107 in Lehigh County, 133 in Northampton County. That brings the total to 59,581. While the statewide number of cases is falling, the Valley’s numbers are the highest in more than three weeks, with both counties showing increases.

Deaths: One new death in Lehigh County, compared with four in the Valley the day before. That brings the total to 1,443, (787 in Lehigh, and 656 in Northampton).