The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 780 new coronavirus cases Wednesday, raising the statewide total to 69,417.
In Pennsylvania, there have now been 5,265 deaths tied to COVID-19, including 113 new fatalities reported Wednesday. About two-thirds of those deaths have occurred in long-term care facilities, such as nursing homes.
The health department released new data Wednesday; the figures include cases and deaths reported as of midnight. There are 349,990 patients who have tested negative, the department said.
Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine has said the drop in new cases in recent days has been encouraging, especially since the state is ramping up testing. Statewide, an estimated 61 percent of those who have been infected have recovered, Levine said in a news conference Tuesday.
While the number of new cases is higher than the last two days, it continues a streak of 17 days where new cases have been below 1,000.
Nursing homes and hospitals
Statewide, 3,469 deaths linked to the coronavirus have occurred in long-term care facilities, including nursing homes, according to the health department.
The health department said 14,990 residents of those facilities have been infected, along with 2,528 employees.
Cases have been found at 596 facilities in 44 counties, according to the health department.
Fewer coronavirus patients are being treated in hospitals and the number of patients on ventilators has declined in recent weeks. There are 1,493 coronavirus patients being treated in hospitals, down from around 2,700 or so a month ago, according to state figures. Hospitals have resumed elective surgeries in recent weeks.
The health department said 5,216 health care workers have contracted the virus.
Reopening Pennsylvania
Gov. Tom Wolf has been gradually reopening Pennsylvania. His reopening plan has three phases: red, yellow and green.
Counties in the red phase remain under a stay-at-home order, while the yellow counties allow for many businesses to reopen, with some restrictions. The green phase is the least restrictive, but the governor has said large events, such as concerts, would still be prohibited.
On Friday, eight more counties will move into the yellow phase: Dauphin, Franklin, Huntingdon, Lebanon, Luzerne, Monroe, Pike, and Schuylkill. With those counties, 57 counties will be in the yellow phase on Friday.
Also on Friday, the first counties move to the green phase. These counties will go green: Bradford, Cameron, Centre, Clarion, Clearfield, Crawford, Elk, Forest, Jefferson, Lawrence, McKean, Montour, Potter, Snyder, Sullivan, Tioga, Venango, and Warren counties.
The governor said last week he anticipates the remaining red counties will be lifted from the stay-at-home order by June 5. They include Philadelphia and its surrounding counties, Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery; Berks; Lancaster; and Lackawanna.
Gov. Tom Wolf's red, yellow and green phases reopening Pennsylvania after coronavirus-related shutdowns in 2020. (Graphic via the governor's office.)
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