The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 5,785 new cases of coronavirus and 205 more deaths on Saturday.
Across Pennsylvania, 799,957 people have contracted COVID-19 since the pandemic began about a year ago.
Across the state, 20,526 deaths in total were related to the virus. It took eight months to reach 10,000 deaths, but it took less than two months to double that.
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The number of virus-related hospitalizations continues its recent decline. According to the health department, about 4,100 patients with COVID-19 are hospitalized on Saturday morning, below the December peak that exceeded 6,300. About 822 are in intensive care today.
Of those who had a coronavirus test in the seven days ending on January 21, 10.5% were positive. Anything above 5% shows a significant spread of COVID-19 in the community.
- More: graphs, data on coronavirus in Pa.
Most hospitalized patients, and the majority of those who died, are 65 or older, the state said.
This week, Governor Tom Wolf’s administration said it is expanding the vaccine’s eligibility to anyone over 65 and everyone between 16 and 64 with certain chronic health problems or high-risk conditions. However, supplies of the vaccine are limited. So far, some 400,000 Pennsylvania residents have received at least the first of two vaccines from COVID-19.
The health department reports that 79% of people who contracted the coronavirus have recovered. The state considers that patients recovered after 30 days from the point of infection or the onset of symptoms. About 3.5 million people have had negative tests.
Wolf announced on Friday that he is nominating Alison Beam, his deputy chief of staff, to succeed former Pennsylvania Secretary of Health, Dr. Rachel Levine, who was nominated by President Joe Biden as assistant US health secretary. . Levine is about to become the first openly transgender officer to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
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