HARRISBURG – COVID cases in the Valley and statewide are slighty rising again. In its daily update Saturday, the state Department of Health confirmed 5,343 additional positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the total to 1,038,749 cases since the start of the pandemic. Most of those people, 90%, have recovered, according to the state.
There were 63 new Valley cases – In Northumberland County, there are 29 more cases, for a total of 8,635 cases, and a new death at 337 deaths, since the start of the pandemic. Union County has 15 new cases at 5,448 cases since the start of the pandemic and 86 deaths.
Snyder County has 11 new cases at 3,313 total and 82 deaths, and Montour County has eight new cases, 1,852 since the beginning of the pandemic, and 60 deaths. The department says there were 40 new deaths identified by the Pennsylvania death registry over the last three days, reported for a total of 25,188 deaths attributed to COVID-19.
Statewide hospitalizations remain relatively the same with 2,187 individuals hospitalized with COVID-19. Of that number, 422 patients are in an intensive care unit and 207 are on ventilators. Locally- Evangelical Community Hospital has 16 total COVID-19 patients, with four in the ICU, and none on a ventilator. Geisinger Danville has 36 total patients, 12 of whom are in ICU, and four are on ventilators. Geisinger Shamokin has three total patients, one in the ICU, and none on ventilators.
Also in Saturday’s update the state is reporting another 1,092 local residents have received at least one shot lately. That includes 547 in Northumberland County. Now 42,895 have at least one shot (17,641 have two shots, 25,254 have one shot). In Snyder County, 14,573 have at least one shot, that represents an increase of 168 people from the day before (5,591 have two shots, 8,892 have two).
Union County has 240 more residents with at least one shot of the vaccine (17,887 total [6,607 both, 11,280 one shot). Montour County has 133 new residents with a shot, 14,749 have at least one now (6,530 have two, 8,210 have just one).
There were slight changes at Valley universities Saturday: At Bucknell University, there are 14 active cases – 10 among students and four among faculty and staff. 360 have been active since the spring semester began and only 21% of its isolation space is in use. At Susquehanna University, there are four active cases – three among students and one among faculty and staff.
