COVID-19 cases spike in every region of Pennsylvania
Every region of Pennsylvania is seeing an uptick of COVID-19 with the Southwest leading the way, Gov. Tom Wolf said Tuesday.
Hospital admissions related to the virus have increase 15% in the past two weeks, a development that has not strained the health-care system, state Health Sec. Rachel Levine added.
“We simply cannot allow the commonwealth to take a step backwards,” Levine said at a briefing at WellSpan York Hospital called to focus on the importance of masking during the pandemic.
The state managed to flatten the curve on the spread of the virus under Wolf’s stay-at-home order until it expired in stages about a month ago.
The new surge in cases has been traced to younger adults who crowded bars where social distancing and masking were not practiced. That uptick resulted in the Wolf administration closing bars that don’t sell food and setting more restrictions on restaurants last week.
Levine said she has one word for those who claim COVID-19 is getting weaker.
“That’s Florida,” she said, adding four counties in that state have no intensive care beds left because of the virus.
The virus has killed 7,038 Pennsylvanians this year after 20 new deaths were announced Tuesday.
Fayette County added seven, taking their totals to 91 and 279. Washington County, which has been on the state’s watch list because of the surge, added a dozen new cases of the virus, taking its Tuesday total to 592. Greene County registered four new cases. There were no new deaths announced in those counties.
Local DOH data updates reported between Wednesday and Thursday include:
COVID-19 cases
Fayette County: 279 cases (+7); 7,429 negative tests; four deaths (no change)
Greene County: 91 cases (+4); 2,078 negative tests; no deaths
Washington County: 592 cases (+12); 12,442 negative tests; seven deaths (no change)
Westmoreland County: 1,193 cases (+19); 25,192 negative tests; 40 deaths (no change)
Allegheny County: 6,435 cases (+139); 91, 238 negative tests; 209 deaths (+1)
Pennsylvania: 99,875 cases (+711); 952,998 negative tests; 7,038 deaths (+20)
Long-term care living facilities
Fayette County: five facilities; nine cases in residents; six in employees; one death
Greene County: one facility; two cases in residents; one in employees; no deaths
Washington County: eight facilities; 15 cases in residents; seven in employees; two deaths
Westmoreland County: 19 facilities; 158 cases in residents; 50 in employees; 29 deaths
Allegheny County: 62 facilities; 639 cases in residents; 201 in employees; 161 deaths
Pennsylvania: 792 facilities; 18,685 cases in residents; 3,614 in employees; 4,804 deaths
For additional information, visit health.pa.gov.