Centre County adds 2 new COVID-19 cases, as overall cases in Pennsylvania top 62,000

Centre County added two new cases of the new coronvairus on Sunday, according to the state Department of Health, bringing the county’s overall total to 131 cases since March.

Statewide, the numbers continue to rise — but the rate of confirmed positive cases has slowed. As of noon Sunday, there are now 62,234 total cases of the coronavirus in Pennsylvania, meaning 623 cases are new.

According to the DOH’s website, COVID-19 has been found in three Centre County nursing or personal care facilities and there was one new case among residents Sunday and one new case among employees.

The state does not yet identify such senior living communities, but three have confirmed to the Centre Daily Times that they’ve experienced cases: The Oaks at Pleasant Gap, Wynwood House at State College and Centre Crest.

“As counties move from red to yellow, we need all Pennsylvanians to continue to follow the social distancing and mitigation efforts in place,” Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said Sunday in a written statement. “We must continue to protect our most vulnerable Pennsylvanians, which includes our seniors, those with underlying health issues, our health care workers and our first responders.”

Thirty-seven counties (including Centre County) have partially reopened, and Gov. Tom Wolf announced that 12 more counties — scattered around the state — will also partially reopen this Friday by moving into the “yellow phase.” That means 18 other counties remain under stay-at-home orders or are not yet poised to move on from the “red phase.”

It is unknown how many Pennsylvanians, or Centre County residents, have recovered from the coronavirus because the state Department of Health doesn’t receive reports when patients are discharged. However, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, more than 250,000 patients have fully recovered in the U.S. out of nearly 1.45 million infected. (By comparison, 89,498 have died in the U.S. as of Sunday morning.)

Locally, every county surrounding Centre County now has at least 38 confirmed cases of the coronavirus. Totals from nearby counties are as follows:

• Blair County: 38 (0 deaths)
• Cambria County: 54 (1 death)
• Clearfield County: 33 (0 deaths)
• Clinton County: 44 (0 deaths)
• Huntingdon County: 214 (0 deaths)
• Juniata County: 94 (1 death)
• Mifflin County: 57 (0 deaths)
• Union County: 47 (1 death)

In Centre County, here’s the breakdown by ZIP code (those without cases are not listed):

• 16823 (Bellefonte, Milesburg and Pleasant Gap): 38
  
  
• 16801 (State College): 28

• 16803 (State College): 20

• 16827 (Boalsburg): 9

• 16870 (Port Matilda): 8
• 16686 (Tyrone): 6

• 16666, 16841, 16866, 16844, 16828, 16852, 16822: 1-4 cases each (Specific numbers not available)

The statewide death toll from the virus also rose Sunday, increasing by 15 to 4,418 total. The state DOH has reported six COVID-19 deaths in Centre County, though the Centre County Coroner’s office said it has only been notified about five deaths. Those include an 89-year-old man on April 16, a 96-year-old man May 8, an 89-year-old woman May 9, a 74-year-old man Tuesday and an 88-year-old woman Wednesday.

The state DOH has also reported five such deaths in county nursing homes — after reporting only four Friday — but only three deaths have been confirmed by county nursing homes.

It’s unclear why there are inconsistencies with the state’s reporting and confirmed reports. But some of the new deaths reported statewide are the result of a reconciliation of data over the past several weeks.

According to the state DOH, about 37% of positive cases in the state involve someone aged 25-49, followed by those 65 and older (29%) and those aged 50-64 (26%). Most of the patients hospitalized are aged 65 or older, and most of the deaths have occurred in patients 65 or older.

According to the state’s hospital preparedness dashboard, no COVID-19 patients (and one non-COVID-19 patient) in the county are on ventilator care. Dr. Nirmal Joshi, chief medical officer for Mount Nittany Health, told the CDT last month that the hospital can provide ventilator care for up to 40 patients.

Anyone who believes they came into contact with someone who might have the coronavirus is advised to monitor their health and call their primary care provider if they develop symptoms, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The most well-known symptoms are cough and shortness of breath — but can also include the presence of at least two of the following: fever, chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat and loss of taste/smell.

Symptoms can appear in as few as two days or as long as 14 days after exposure, according to the CDC.

Those who believe they might be sick are encouraged to stay at home except to get medical care. Residents are also urged to call their health care provider before visiting. And those who do venture out are urged to wear masks.

The state updates its county-by-county coronavirus numbers at noon every day.