Pennsylvania reported 260 new COVID-19 deaths on Thursday, pushing its total to 20,128 since the start of the pandemic nearly a year ago.
The milestone may be most alarming in light of this: after Pennsylvania reported its first COVID-19 death on March 18, it took more than eight months, until Nov. 25, to reach 10,000. The total has doubled in eight weeks.
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The state also reported 5,664 new infections, slightly fewer than Wednesday and well below the peak of the post-Thanksgiving surge that brought 12,000-plus new infections on several days.
As of Thursday, 4,758 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 in Pennsylvania, also well below the peak of about 6,300 hospitalizations in December.
On Thursday, the main COVID-19 story in Pennsylvania involved the limited supply of vaccine in light of the newly-eligible group that includes everyone 65 and older and people 16-64 with chronic medical conditions. Made in response to a federal recommendation, it became official on Tuesday, making a total of 3.5 million Pennsylvanians immediately eligible for vaccine. However, the state is only receiving about 140,000 doses per week from the federal government, and many Pennsylvanians seeking vaccine face long waits.
Health officials are optimistic the supply will soon expand greatly as a result of increased production and new brands of vaccine getting approved.