Centre County adds 42 new cases of COVID-19, as hospital admissions continue to increase
Mount Nittany Medical Center tied its record Friday for the most people hospitalized at one time due to the new coronavirus.
Seventeen people are hospitalized, ranging in age from 31 to 92. The heath care system has treated an average of 11 COVID-19 patients per day in October; that’s up from an average of two COVID-19 patients per day in September.
Two patients are on ventilators, according to the state Health Department. The sustained increase of admissions due to COVID-19 is “concerning,” Chief Medical Officer Nirmal Joshi said in a statement.
“Increased cases and hospitalizations — especially among vulnerable elderly populations — remains cause for concern,” Joshi said. “It is also a reminder to be even more vigilant and thoughtful in consistently practicing preventive measures, including masking, social distancing and frequent hand washing.”
A 16th death attributed to the new coronavirus was confirmed Thursday by the Centre County Coroner’s Office, the third since Tuesday.
An 89-year-old woman died Thursday at Mount Nittany Medical Center, county Coroner Scott Sayers and hospital spokesperson Anissa Ilie said. Deaths confirmed by the county coroner’s office range in age from 62 to 101.
Centre County added 42 confirmed cases and 289 negative tests Friday, according to the DOH, which lists 17 deaths in the county. There have been 4,226 cases since March 20.
Centre County will likely report fewer cases in October than September. The county reported 2,224 cases in September and 1,346 cases through October’s penultimate day.
Cases among long-term care facility residents have markedly increased since Oct. 15, when 60 residents were diagnosed with COVID-19. There are 130 cases among residents as of Tuesday.
The breakdown of confirmed Centre County cases by ZIP code is as follows, according to the DOH:
- 16801 (State College): 2,493 (24 new cases)
- 16802 (University Park): 644 (6 new cases)
- 16803 (State College): 278 (6 new cases)
- 16823 (Bellefonte and Pleasant Gap): 188 (2 new cases)
- 16686 (Tyrone): 72 (1 new cases)
- 16870 (Port Matilda): 45 (2 new cases)
- 16827 (Boalsburg): 40
- 16828 (Centre Hall): 37
- 16866 (Philipsburg): 36
- 16875 (Spring Mills): 35
- 16841 (Howard): 30
- 16853 (Milesburg): 30
- 16822 (Beech Creek): 16
- 16851 (Lemont): 13
- 16820 (Aaronsburg): 11
- 16854 (Millheim): 11
- 16877 (Warriors Mark): 11
- 16666 (Osceola Mills): 9
- 16845 (Karthaus): 9
16844 (Julian): 8 (1 case removed)
- 16804 (State College): 7
- 16860 (Munson): 7
- 16865 (Pennsylvania Furnace): 7
- 16829 (Clarence): 6
- 16872 (Rebersburg): 6
- 16826 (Blanchard): 5
- 16868 (Pine Grove Mills): 5
- 16677, 16832, 16852, 16856, 16859, 16874, 16882: 1-4 cases each
The state does not provide specific numbers when there are fewer than five cases to protect patient privacy, and does not identify exactly where a case occurred in a ZIP code that spans multiple counties.
This story was originally published October 30, 2020 at 2:42 PM.