Pennsylvania's new covid cases, deaths, hospitalizations all decline in January

The number of new cases of coronavirus in Pennsylvania declined more than 27% from December’s totals to January’s totals.

The latest reports from the state show Pennsylvania added 202,899 new cases of the virus in January, compared with 278,861 cases in December.

In a report issued Monday by the Pennsylvania Department of Health, the state saw 6,839 new cases of covid-19 over the Sunday-Monday period. That’s 13.5% fewer cases than one week ago (7,910), and 27% fewer than two weeks ago (9,386).

Among the latest cases, 6,054 were confirmed through 29,359 first-time PCR tests, with 785 listed as probable. Health officials define a probable case as one in which a patient has a positive viral antigen test or covid symptoms with a “high-risk exposure” to someone who has been confirmed to have coronavirus.

The decline in cases in January is a tale of two halves — from Jan. 1-15 the state reported 114,286 new cases, while from Jan. 16-31 there were 88,613 cases reported.

The state’s seven-day average of new cases is down to 5,459. It has not been that low since Nov. 17 (5,265). The current seven-day new case total of 38,211 also has not been as low since Nov. 17, when it was 36,856.

“We continue to see a positive pattern of decreased case numbers, statewide positivity and decrease in counties with substantial transmission,” said Gov. Tom Wolf in a press release. “But we know covid-19 still remains a threat in our communities. We need to stay the course and unite in the covid-19 fight. Please wear a mask, wash your hands, practice social distancing and avoid gatherings. Together, we can unite against this dangerous virus and keep our friends and loved ones safe.”

Health officials reported 85 new covid-related deaths over the past two days, bringing the total since the pandemic began to 21,687.

Over the past two days, Montgomery County saw the most new cases, with 503. The other top counties were Lancaster (492), Philadelphia (488), Bucks (424) and Allegheny (402). Nine counties reported single-digit counts over the past two days.

Among Western Pennsylvania counties, Allegheny was the highest, followed by Westmoreland (105), Butler (78), Beaver (76), Washington (65), Fayette (49), Lawrence (36), Somerset (31), Armstrong (20), Indiana (19) and Clarion (14).

Health officials report statewide percent positivity for the week of Jan. 22-28 was 9.3%.

As for vaccinations, officials report that through Feb. 6 there have been 2,121,100 doses of vaccine allocated/received by providers. Within that number, 811,555 first doses and 196,470 second doses have been administered.

The state has posted an interactive map showing vaccine distribution points in the state. A commonwealth covid-19 vaccination guide explains the current process for getting one. Those with questions about the vaccination process can call the Department of Health hotline at 877-724-3258.

Hospitalizations also declined sharply in January, going from 5,624 on Jan. 1 to 3,370 on Sunday — a 40% drop. Among patients in intensive care units, the number went from 1,172 to 695, and for those on a ventilator it went from 661 to 428.

Currently, according to the Open Data PA website, there are 3,280 Pennsylvanians hospitalized with covid-19, with 650 of them in the ICU and 420 on a ventilator.

Since the pandemic began last March, there have been 846,078 cases of covid-19 in Pennsylvania, with 736,236 confirmed through PCR tests. A total of 3,646,648 residents have tested negative.