More than 15,000 deaths in Pennsylvania are now associated with COVID-19, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
The health department reported 203 new fatalities linked to COVID-19 in the past two days, bringing the total across the state to 15,086. The department provided an update on coronavirus cases over the weekend; the state does not issue updates on Sundays, so the new numbers reflect two days of data. There were 127 deaths reported on Saturday and 76 deaths reported on Sunday.
As cases have increased in recent weeks, the number of deaths linked to COVID-19 has increased dramatically, according to data from the health department.
It took eight months after the emergence of the coronavirus pandemic to reach 10,000 deaths in Pennsylvania; the state reached that mark on november 25th. It took just over a month to add 5,000 COVID-19 deaths to that total.
There are 5,995 coronavirus patients being treated in hospitals, according to the state Department of Health’s online tracker. The number fell from an increase of 6,300 earlier this month, but remains about twice the peak of spring. Health officials have expressed concern in recent weeks about the possibility of hospitals being overwhelmed with a flow of patients.
“Our hospitals and healthcare systems in Pennsylvania continue to be challenged by COVID-19,” said Pennsylvania Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine on Monday.
At a news conference on Monday, Levine said the state is seeing a drop in the number of new infections, which is encouraging. But she also asked people to remain vigilant and said she was concerned about another increase after the new year, after vacation trips and meetings.
The health department reported 8,663 new cases of coronavirus in the past two days: 3,779 new cases on Monday and 4,884 on Sunday. Levine said the lower numbers over the past two days reflect a drop in tests carried out over the weekend after Christmas.
Across the state, 613,804 cases of coronavirus have been reported, the health department said.
The state is seeing an increase in cases among those aged 5 to 18. The state reported 12,873 new infections among those aged 5 to 18 in the week of December 18 to 25. This is more than double the number (5,750) in that age group in the previous week.
Earlier this month, Wolf imposed temporary restrictions on a number of companies, including a three-week ban on restaurant meals. Wolf also ordered the closure of entertainment venues, including casinos, theaters and concert halls. Retailers and most other businesses are restricted to 50% of internal capacity under temporary restrictions.
Temporary measures are due to expire on January 4. Levine told a news conference that there are no plans to lift the restrictions before that date.
Across the state, more than 72,000 health workers received COVID-19 vaccines, said Levine. Thousands of vaccines are being distributed to hospitals this week, she said.
The federal government, working with CVS and Walgreen’s, is starting to vaccinate residents and staff in nursing homes this week. After being distributed to qualified nursing homes, vaccines will be given to other long-term care facilities, including personal care homes and assisted living facilities.
Most people infected with COVID-19 recover after suffering only mild symptoms. Levine said that 64% of people who contracted the virus are considered recovered (the state considers patients recovered after 30 days have passed since the date of infection).
Health officials note that coronavirus is a risk for people of all ages, but it is particularly dangerous for the elderly and people with health complications.