Cases drop 55% over past month; vaccinations fall 20% Hospitalizations

By Eugene Tauber

The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 2,028 additional coronavirus cases on Thursday, and the sevenday moving average of newly reported cases was down 28% from a week ago and 55% lower than a month ago.

Both Lehigh and Northampton counties remain slightly below the statewide population-adjusted additional case rate over seven days. Northampton County, which had the state’s top rate at the end of March, now ranks 39th out of the 67 counties. Lehigh comes in at 44. But both the state and the Valley are adding cases at about 1.5 times the national rate.

To date, there have been 1.18 million infections statewide since the start of the pandemic.

In addition, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published its weekly allocations of first doses of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines for each state.

The number of Pfizer-BioNTech doses — the one just approved for use in everyone age 12 and older — is the same for the fifth consecutive week, at 195,320 for Pennsylvania, even though there are an estimated additional 606,000 adolescent arms to jab. The numbers combine Philadelphia, which is administered separately by the CDC, with the other 66 Pennsylvania counties administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

The data were made available two days later than usual. There is no update on the supply of the Johnson & Johnson one-shot vaccine. Several sources told Politico.com that the governors were informed during a White House briefing call Tuesday that there would be no allocations of the J&J vaccine for next week.

State and metropolitan health departments are permitted to place orders for first doses on behalf of vaccine provides beginning Thursday mornings. Second doses can be ordered starting Sunday of each week.

There will be 147,640 first doses of the Moderna vaccine available next week, 140 more than this week.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is shifting priorities to a separate program that sends vaccine supply directly to retail pharmacies, but the data for that program are not released in advance. exclude shots administered in Philadelphia. There is no word on whether the state will try inducements to entice more people to get immunized.

Associated Press reported Wednesday that Ohio is entering vaccinated adults into a weekly lottery to win $1 million for each of the next five weeks. Those under 18 will be entered into a lottery to win a four-year scholarship to any of Ohio’s state universities, including tuition, room and board.

With Philadelphia’s data folded in, there have been more than 10.8 million COVID vaccinations administered to 6.57 million people since mid-December, accounting for 59.3% of the state’s 12-and-older population. There are 4.65 million people — 42% of those eligible — who have completed their inoculation regimen, while another 1.92 million are waiting for their second shot.

More than 370,000 Lehigh Valley residents — 63.6% of those eligible — have received at least one of the 598,000 shots administered locally, with 245,583 people — 42.2% of the eligible population — now fully vaccinated. About 125,000 Valley residents need their follow-up shot.

There were 1,652 people hospitalized as of midday Thursday compared with 1,712 Wednesday. Of those, 390 were in intensive care, and 240 were on ventilators.

Hospitals in the Lehigh Valley reported 124 COVID-19 patients Thursday, compared with 124 Wednesday, including 26 in intensive care, and 24 on ventilators.