Coronavirus in Pa.: 816 new cases reported Sept. 2, 135,611 overall

The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 816 new coronavirus cases Wednesday, raising the statewide total to 135,611.

The state has reported 5,075 new cases over the last seven days, an average of 725 per day. That represents an uptick over the previous week, when the health department reported, on average, 626 new cases each day.

Still, the number of new cases dropped steadily through the month of August. It’s been more than a month since the state last reported 1,000 new cases in a single day; it last happened on July 28. The state regularly topped that mark in April.

Across Pennsylvania, 7,712 deaths have been tied to COVID-19, including 21 new fatalities reported Wednesday, according to the health department. More than two-thirds of the state’s coronavirus deaths have occurred in long-term care facilities, such as nursing homes.

There are 550 coronavirus patients being treated in hospitals, an uptick in recent days but well below late July, when more than 700 people were hospitalized. At the peak in the spring, about 2,800 COVID-19 patients were treated in hospitals.

The health department estimates 81% of those who have contracted the coronavirus have recovered. The department considers patients to have fully recovered when they are 30 days past the point of infection or the development of symptoms.

Most of those who contract the virus suffer relatively mild symptoms and don’t require hospital treatment. But the virus poses greater risks for seniors and those with underlying health complications.

There were 22,821 test results reported to the department through 10 p.m. Tuesday. Between Aug. 26-Sept. 1, the state administered 164,110 tests. More than 1.5 million Pennsylvanians have tested negative for the coronavirus.

Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration said 3.2% of all coronavirus tests last week were positive for COVID-19, down from 3.4% the previous week. The positive rate has dropped for five consecutive weeks, according to the Wolf administration.

Still, the Wolf administration on Monday named 9 counties to watch because more than 5% of those tested were positive for the virus over a 7-day period. These are the counties: Columbia (13.5%), Armstrong (8.3%), Perry (6.9%), Northumberland (6.7%), Potter (5.9%), Beaver (5.7%), Dauphin (5.3%), Fulton (5.3%) and York (5.0%).

The state is also tracking an uptick in cases among young adults. In August, the health department reported roughly 1 in 5 new cases in eastern Pennsylvania involved those between the ages of 19 and 24. In northcentral Pennsylvania, nearly a quarter of the new cases in August came in that age group.

Here’s a look at the week-by-week trend going back to early July.

July 2-8: 4,906 new cases, an average of 700 per day

July 9-15: 5,517 new cases, an average of 788 per day

July 16-22: 5,731 new cases, an average of 818 per day

July 23-29: 6,822 new cases, an average of 974 per day

July 30-Aug. 5: 5,496 new cases, an average of 785 per day

Aug. 6-12: 5,216 new cases, an average of 773 per day

Aug. 13-19: 5,019 new cases, an average of 717 per day

Aug. 20-26: 4,387 new cases, an average of 626 per day

Aug. 27-Sept. 2: 5,075 new cases, an average of 725 per day

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