The Pennsylvania Department of Health has reported nearly 16,000 new coronavirus cases and 139 deaths over a two-day period.
The state has reported 15,785 new cases, including 8,425 new cases on Thursday and 7,360 new cases Friday. The department didn’t release new figures on Thanksgiving, so Friday’s report includes data over the past two days. Across Pennsylvania, 343,614 people have now contracted the coronavirus.
Statewide, 10,234 deaths have been tied to COVID-19, including 139 newly reported fatalities, the health department said Friday. The number of deaths has been rising more sharply in recent weeks. About two-thirds of the state’s deaths have occurred in long-term care facilities.
The number of hospitalizations has risen dramatically in recent weeks. According to the health department, 4,114 COVID-19 patients are in hospital beds, an increase of 124 since Wednesday. For perspective, about 450 coronavirus patients required hospital care in late September.
There are now 864 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit beds, according to the health department.
Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine said some projections show if the spike continues, the state’s ICU beds could be filled in December. Levine has directed hospitals to work together and help each other if facilities reach their capacity limits. She has also asked health care systems to look at elective procedures and prepare to reschedule them if needed to preserve beds and resources.
There were 58,103 COVID-19 test results reported to the health department Wednesday and 57,971 tests reported through 10 p.m. Thursday.
The state has performed 464,069 tests over the past seven days, with 38,851 positive cases in that one-week span.
Nearly all of Pennsylvania’s counties - 63 of 67 - are showing substantial spread of the virus, according to the health department. Most of those counties have shown substantial spread for two weeks or more.
Earlier this week, Levine directed school districts to notify the state about the steps they are taking to operate safely, either with remote education or how they are managing in-person offerings. Many school districts across Pennsylvania have shifted to remote education, at least temporarily, as cases have spiked in the past few weeks.
Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration moved this week to enact new measures to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. Those steps include new limits on gatherings: indoor events are limited to 500 people and outdoor gatherings are capped at 2,500, Levine said.
Wolf has also issued an advisory for residents to stay home whenever possible. It’s not a stay-at-home order but Wolf urged residents to remain home as much as possible and to wear masks.
The state’s positive test rate for the virus has risen to 11%, according to state figures. The state has improved its testing capacity but Levine has stressed the rise in cases isn’t simply due to the state running more tests. The data shows the percentage of people with COVID-19 continues to rise.
The health department reports 61% of those who have contracted the coronavirus have recovered; that percentage has dropped as the number of new infections has surged. Several weeks ago, more than 80% of those infected had recovered. The state considers patients to have recovered when they are 30 days past the point of infection or the onset of symptoms.
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