PA Reports Largest Single-Day Coronavirus Death Toll

Kara Seymour
Updated ·2 min read

HARRISBURG, PA — Pennsylvania reported its largest single-day death count from the new coronavirus on Tuesday, as 78 virus-related fatalities were confirmed in the last 24 hours. The new deaths bring the statewide total to 240.

The 78 new deaths were well above any past numbers reported. On Monday, state officials said there were 12 deaths statewide. The largest previous single-day total was reported on Saturday, when there were 34 new deaths. Philadelphia had the bulk of the deaths reported Tuesday, with 30 occurring in the city in the last 24 hours, data shows.

Pennsylvania's coronavirus death toll has more than tripled since April 1, data shows. On April 1, the state reported 74 total deaths.

The total number of cases in Pennsylvania stands at 14,599 as of Tuesday; more than 1,300 of those people have have been hospitalized. Cases have been reported in all 67 counties. Of those hospitalized, 51 percent are 65 or older. Those aged 50 to 64 make up 29 percent of the hospitalizations. There have been no pediatric deaths as of Tuesday.

As of Tuesday, approximately 40 percent of Pennsylvania's ICU beds are still available, State Health Secretary Rachel Levine. She added that 70 percent of the state's ventilators are still available.

Levine said Tuesday's jump in deaths is largely due to a lag time in reporting. "There is sometimes a lag time for the reporting of cases, particularly deaths, into our data system," she said. Tuesdays often show an substantial increase reflecting the reporting lag time from the weekend.

However, she added, an increase in the number of deaths is expected as the new cases plateau and "hopefully" decrease.

"We are going to be tracking all of those statistics very closely," Levine said.

Here are the total deaths by county as of Tuesday, according to the Pennsylvania Dept. of Health:

  • Allegheny: 6

  • Beaver: 9

  • Berks: 4

  • Bucks: 21

  • Butler: 2

  • Cambria: 1

  • Carbon: 1

  • Chester: 6

  • Columbia: 1

  • Cumberland: 2

  • Dauphin: 1 death

  • Delaware: 20

  • Fayette: 1 death

  • Lackawanna: 8

  • Lancaster: 14

  • Lawrence: 2 deaths

  • Lehigh: 10

  • Luzerne: 8

  • Monroe: 12

  • Montgomery: 30

  • Northampton: 14

  • Perry: 1

  • Philadelphia: 58

  • Pike: 5

  • Snyder: 1

  • York: 2

In response to the public health crisis, Gov. Tom Wolf has ordered all non-life-sustaining businesses in Pennsylvania close their physical locations. Enforcement is underway.

A statewide stay-at-home order has been in place across Pennsylvania since April 1. School and non-essential business closures are currently "indefinite."

>>>Full coverage of coronavirus in Pennsylvania here.

This article originally appeared on the Newtown Patch