Associated Press
HARRISBURG – As the holidays approach, COVID-19 cases in the Valley and across Pennsylvania went back up in the past week as the holidays approach.
In its weekly update late Wednesday, the state Department of Health reported 243 new Valley cases, which is 64 more than last week. In Northumberland County, there were 120 new cases this week, for a total of 27,582 since the start of the pandemic. Snyder County reported 46 new cases (9,459 total) and Union County added 52 new cases (13,275 total).
Case counts went down at the low security penitentiary at Allenwood with just four inmate cases reported again this week.
Montour County had 25 new cases this week, and now stands at 5,697 since the start of the pandemic.
The health department reported 14,606 new statewide COVID cases over the last seven days…that is a daily average of 2,000 reported cases for a second straight week, and 768 more total cases than reported the week before. The statewide COVID-19 case count total now stands at 3,403,177 since the start of the pandemic.
There were 136 new deaths related to the virus reported in Pennsylvania, and the statewide pandemic death toll to 48,798. There were no new deaths in the Valley. Since the start of the pandemic, Northumberland County has had 573 deaths, Union County 159, Snyder 168, and Montour totals remains with 96.
1,317 people are hospitalized for COVID-19 statewide (down 12 from last week), with 170 patients in an ICU and 75 on ventilators.
Here in The Valley, Evangelical has 11 COVID patients (unchanged from last week), while Geisinger’s Shamokin campus has three patients this week (two in ICU, one on ventilator). Geisinger Danville has 30 patients total (three more than last week), with four in the ICU and one on a ventilator.
In statewide vaccination rates, more than 25.1 million vaccine doses were administered. Montour County has a ‘full vaccination’ rate of 81.4%, Northumberland 59.1%, Union 51.5%, and Snyder 44.2%.
The Department of Human Services says the Selinsgrove Center has nine COVID cases among staff and fewer than five cases among people receiving services.
The Danville State Hospital no longer has COVID cases.
