Pennsylvania coronavirus latest news: 12,884 more cases, another new record



[ad_1]

The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 12,884 new cases of the coronavirus on Saturday – a record 1,000 more from the previous record.

Across Pennsylvania, 411,484 people have contracted COVID-19 since the pandemic began earlier this year.

Statewide, 11,262 deaths have been linked to the virus, including 149 reported on Saturday.

Can’t see the graph? Click here.

Pa. Now set three records this week in daily case counts, with 11,406 reported Thursday and 11,763 Friday. As of September, the state was seeing fewer than 1,000 new cases a day.

The number of hospitalizations has increased dramatically in recent weeks, and hospitals say they are running out of ICU beds. According to the health department, 5,230 patients with COVID-19 are hospitalized. Of those, 1,065 are in intensive care units, according to the health department.

Staffing in hospitals is a concern. Two parts of the state, including 16 counties including Harrisburg, York and Lancaster, are on the brink of a staffing crisis, with many hospitals in each region expecting shortages within a week, figures show collected by the health department.

Health officials urge the public to wear face masks, wash their hands frequently, stay away from society and avoid gatherings, saying this is the only viable way to prevent hospitals from become so overwhelmed that they cannot properly treat patients with coronavirus and other emergency problems.

The tests are much more numerous from the spring, as is the percentage of these tests which prove to be positive. The number of tests administered in the last seven days, up to December 4, is 405,631, of which 59,817 (14.7%) were positive.

  • More: Graphics, data on the coronavirus in Pa.

Of those who tested positive statewide: about 1% are between 0 and 4 years old; 3% are between 5 and 12 years old; 5% are between 13 and 18 years old; 12% are between 19 and 24 years old; 37% are between 25 and 49 years old; 22% are between 50 and 64 years old; and 20% are 65 or older.

Most of the hospital patients, and most of those who have died, are 65 or older, the state said. Nursing homes have battled the spread of the virus.

Can’t see the graph? Click here.

The health department reports that 58% of those who contracted the coronavirus have recovered. The state considers patients to have recovered when they are 30 days past the point of infection or the onset of symptoms. Almost 3 million people have tested negative.

More:

Pa. Shortens COVID-19 quarantines to 7-10 days

Do you still think COVID-19 is a hoax? Visiting a hospital | PennLive Editorial

Deaths from virus in US exceed 3,100 in a single day, breaking record in spring

[ad_2]

Source link