COVID-19 in Pa.: More than 5,000 new cases, 170 new deaths reported

The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 5,012 new COVID-19 cases Wednesday.

The state has been seeing around 4,000-5,000 new coronavirus cases each day for the past few weeks. The number of new cases has flattened somewhat, but deaths and hospitalizations have risen.

The health department reported 170 new COVID-19 deaths Wednesday, raising the statewide total to 30,228. About half of the state’s coronavirus deaths have occurred in long-term care facilities, such as nursing homes.

Across Pennsylvania, 3,031 people are being treated for COVID-19 in hospitals, including 678 patients in intensive care units. Three months ago, about 250 people were hospitalized due to the virus. The state remains below the peak of 6,300 hospitalizations last December.

Still, hundreds in central Pennsylvania below are hospitalized due to the virus. WellSpan Health reported 289 coronavirus patients were in its hospitals as of Tuesday. Penn State Health was caring for 113 patients with COVID-19 in its hospitals as of Wednesday.

As of Tuesday, 69.9% of Pennsylvania residents age 18 and older are fully vaccinated. Over the past seven days, more than 25,200 people per day have received COVID-19 vaccinations.

Doctors and health care officials say the COVID-19 vaccines offer the best protection against severe illness due to the coronavirus. The state has seen steady progress in the number of adults getting vaccinated over the past month, although state officials have acknowledged the increase in vaccinations remains slower than they’d hoped.

Every county in Pennsylvania is showing high transmission of the coronavirus, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.

Nationwide, the number of new daily cases has dropped over the past few weeks, though some states saw far greater spikes in new infections and hospitalizations than Pennsylvania.

Since the pandemic began, 1,491,146 COVID-19 cases have been reported, the health department said.

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