Associated Press
HARRISBURG – The number of new COVID-19 cases across Pennsylvania and in The Valley are at their lowest levels in months.
The state Department of Health’s weekly update shows, statewide, there were 5,198 new statewide COVID cases, which is nearly 885 fewer cases than last week. Pennsylvania averaged about 742 daily cases in the past week as well. The Pennsylvania pandemic case total now stands at 3,539,135.
The health department said there were 89 new Valley cases reported since last Wednesday – that number is down 10 from last week and marks the second straight week our area has had fewer than 100 new cases in a week.
In Northumberland County, there were 44 new cases reported (28,784 since the start of the pandemic). In Snyder County, 17 new cases were reported for a total of 9,809. In Union County, 19 (13,597 total) and Montour County, 9 (6,006 total).
The Department of Health reported also late Wednesday; coronavirus hospitalizations took another noticeable decline; this time down by 76, for a total of 671. The department said there 91 ICU beds still being used, but there are eight more patients on ventilators (52 total).
Here in The Valley, Geisinger’s Shamokin campus is still treating two COVID patients. Geisinger Danville is still treating 29 COVID patients (same as last week), with five in the ICU and four on a ventilator. At Evangelical Community Hospital, there are now four patients.
106 new deaths related to the disease were reported this week (50,623 statewide total since the start of the pandemic), that is four fewer than last week. There was also a new Valley death, in Northumberland County. In total, 593 Northumberland County residents have died from COVID, in Union County the total is 159, Snyder 169, and Montour 98.
This week the Federal Bureau of Prisons reported there are now nine inmate cases at the Lewisburg facility (six more than last week and there remains an outbreak of inmate COVID-19 cases at the Allenwood facilities, with 31 at the medium security campus. There are no longer COVID cases at the low security and high security campuses.
At human service facilities locally; Danville State Hospital, there are fewer than five cases among staff members and none among patients. Selinsgrove Center also six COVID cases among staff and seven cases among people receiving services.
25.6 million vaccine doses have been administered since the start of the pandemic. Montour County has a ‘full vaccination’ rate of 82.1%, Northumberland 59.5%, Union 52%, and Snyder 44.5%.
