Associated Press
HARRISBURG – A surprising major increase in new COVID-19 cases has been reported across the Valley, but the Department of Health says that’s due to a backlog in reporting. In its daily update Friday, the department confirmed 1,243 new cases, including 736 new cases in Union County at 4,116 overall and three new deaths at 77 total. For the rest of the area:
- Northumberland County 320 new cases at 7,288 overall since the start of the pandemic. There are also 306 total deaths since March.
- Snyder has 169 new cases at 2,789 overall and 70 total deaths
- Montour has 18 new cases at 1,662 overall and a new death at 53 total deaths.
The Department of Health says there were 1,033 backlogged probable cases reported Friday from antigen tests completed by an unidentified hospital in our region. That breakdown is:
- 663 from Union County;
- 255 from Northumberland County;
- 146 from Snyder County;
- 65 from Lycoming county; and
- The remaining 4 cases were in other counties in the region.
Statewide, 138 new deaths to put the state death toll over 22,200. 4,688 new cases have also been confirmed and the state total is over 861,000, of which 84% have recovered.
Statewide hospitalizations are now down to over 3,000. Of those patients over 600 are in the ICU and over 300 are on ventilators. In Valley hospitalizations:
- Geisinger Danville has six fewer patients- 70 people admitted, 20 are in the ICU and three are on ventilators.
- Geisinger Shamokin has three new patients – 13 people admitted and three in the ICU.
- Evangelical Community Hospital has seven fewer patients – 21 patients admitted, three in the ICU and one on a ventilator.
In vaccine data, the Department of Health reports there are 641 more people in the Valley who have received their first dose, and 474 more people have received their second dose and are fully vaccinated.
- Montour –2,479 people who received first doses (Reconciled Friday), 2,355 who received second doses (+149 Friday)
- Northumberland – 7,725 people who received first doses (+215 Friday), 2,524 people who received second doses (+226 Friday)
- Snyder – 2,666 people who received first doses (+211 Friday), 629 people who received second doses (+40 Friday)
- Union – 3,249 people who received first doses (+200 Friday), 1,071 people who received second doses (+59 Friday)
Statewide, there are over 671,000 people who received first doses and over 246,000 people who received second doses, which equals over 1.1 million doses administered. The state hopes to have over two million people with at least their first dose by next week.
