Pennsylvania continues to report new daily covid case loads above 1,000

Pennsylvania added 1,103 cases of covid-19 on Monday, with another 1,269 cases added Sunday, according to a report from the state’s Department of Health.

The positivity rate of the most recent days was 9.02% for Sunday’s new cases and 8.88% with Monday’s cases. Over the past seven days, the state is averaging a positivity rate of 9.16%.

Over the past two days, the state added 34 new deaths to its total count (26 on Sunday, eight on Monday), making an even 8,500 covid-related deaths since the pandemic began in March.

Among the new deaths, all but one are from October, with the state reporting one death happened in May.

“The fall resurgence is here,” Gov. Tom Wolf said in a press conference Monday with Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine. “And while we must always take this deadly virus seriously, now is the time for all of us to double down on our efforts to keep ourselves and those around us safe. We’ve seen what happens when masks aren’t worn and social distancing isn’t practiced — people get sick, so we need to stay vigilant and work together to stop the spread of covid-19.”

On Monday, Philadelphia County saw the most new cases (154) added, followed by Allegheny (99), Berks (84), Westmoreland (65), Luzerne (45) and York (45).

Over the past week, Allegheny’s 738 cases and Westmoreland’s 557 were behind only Philadelphia (1,319) when it came to counties with the most new covid cases. Other hot spots were Berks (476), Delaware (370) and York (343). Only one Pennsylvania county — Cameron — went the past week without a single new case.

“Our data, including case counts, hospitalizations and percent positivity reflect the fall resurgence occurring,” Levine said. “The department and the Wolf Administration are working continuously to ensure we are prepared for this resurgence and to protect Pennsylvanians. We all must unite to protect ourselves and loved ones from covid-19 by washing our hands, wearing a mask, social distancing, avoiding large gatherings and downloading the Covid Alert PA app.”

According to the state’s covid-19 tracking website, there are 870 Pennsylvanians currently hospitalized with the virus, with 89 of them on ventilators. According to the state, there are 4,976 operational ventilators in the county, with 1,113 (22.4%) currently in use for all illnesses.

Among 1,025 nursing and personal care homes in the state, 24,663 covid cases have been reported among residents, with 5,389 cases found among employees. Out of the total deaths in Pennsylvania, the state reports 5,609 (66%) have occurred in residents from nursing or personal care facilities.

The health department reports that about 11,697 of all cases to date are among health care workers.

Since the pandemic began in March, 183,315 individuals in Pennsylvania have tested positive for the virus, with 2,143,966 residents testing negative.