Associated Press
HARRISBURG – Pennsylvania continues inching closer to a million coronavirus cases, with a concerning set of nearly 5,000 new cases confirmed. In its daily update Wednesday, the state Department of Health reported 4,967 additional positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the statewide total to 996,617. Most of those people, 92%, have recovered, according to the state.
There are 35 new Valley cases – In Northumberland County, there are 19 more cases, and one new death, for a total of 8,401 cases, and 332 deaths, since the start of the pandemic. Union County’s case count was reconciled to 5,383 cases since the start of the pandemic, and 84 deaths.
Snyder County has 14 more cases, 3,243 total and 82 deaths, and Montour County has two new cases, 1,804 since the beginning of the pandemic, and no new deaths (60). The department says there were 48 new deaths identified by the Pennsylvania death registry, reported for a total of 24,876 deaths attributed to COVID-19.
The Department of Health also confirmed a big rise of new vaccinations locally…2,530 local residents have received at least one shot lately. That includes 1,709 in Northumberland County. Now 37,433 have at least one shot (15,341 have two shots, 22,092 have one shot). In Snyder County, 12,370 have at least one shot, that represents an increase of 277 people from the day before (4,836 have two shots, 7,534 have two).
Union County has 389 more residents with at least one shot of the vaccine (14,928 total [5,745 both, 9,183 one shot). Montour County has 155 new residents with a shot, 13,543 have at least one now (6,045 have two, 7,498 have just one). To date, of the 5,235,140 doses allocated through March 27 administered; 4,510,213 doses total through March 2.
At Valley Universities, recent outbreaks are subsiding: At Bucknell University, there are 12 active cases – seven among students and five among faculty and staff. 347 have been active since the spring semester began and only 23% of its isolation space is in use. At Susquehanna University, there remain four active cases – three students and one faculty and staff.
Some changes in local hospitalizations; Evangelical Community Hospital in Lewisburg has five COVID-19 patients, two are in the ICU, and none on ventilators. Geisinger Danville has 26 patients, 12 of whom are in ICU, and six are in ventilators. Geisinger Shamokin has seven patents, three in the ICU, and none on ventilators. Statewide, there are 1,652 individuals hospitalized with COVID-19. Of that number, 351 patients are in an intensive care unit and 184 are on ventilators.
