Feb. 26 update: Centre County adds 39 COVID-19 cases; Mount Nittany adjusts visitor policy
Mount Nittany Health will allow patients to have visitors in limited circumstances starting next week.
Beginning Monday, Mount Nittany Medical Center patients can have one guest during visiting hours, which are 2 to 6 p.m. daily. A support person can join patients at the hospital emergency department, Mount Nittany Physician Group, Mount Nittany Health Surgical Center, Cancer Care Partnership and outpatient hospital locations.
Masks will be required for all visitors, caregivers and patients. Visitors to the hospital or emergency department will receive a wristband and a screening from staff.
Suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patients will not be allowed to have visitors.
Those with questions about visitation at Mount Nittany Medical Center can call 814-231-7000; for Mount Nittany Physician Group, call the practice or outpatient office.
Centre County continued its streak of double-digit COVID-19 cases increases Friday with 39 new positives. The county has reported fewer than 100 cases every day this month with the exceptions of Feb. 6 and 7.
It’s been about three weeks short of a year since the pandemic appeared in Centre County. In that time, there have been 12,825 cases — 11,800 confirmed and 1,025 probable — along with 60,962 negative tests. The state Health Department continues to list 208 deaths in the county.
Mount Nittany Medical Center is treating 10 COVID patients between the ages of 50 and 84, a spokesperson said Friday. That’s four fewer patients than Thursday’s update.
Chief Medical Officer Dr. Nirmal Joshi said 84 COVID-19 patients have been admitted to the hospital this month with an average of 18 per day — those are the lowest numbers since mid-November. Last month, there were 211 COVID admissions with an average daily count of 41 patients.
“While hospitalizations are down, it cannot be stressed enough that we must all continue to consistently follow COVID safety protocols. This includes masking, avoiding large gatherings, social distancing and frequent hand washing,” Joshi said as part of Mount Nittany Health’s weekly update.
In Centre County, 23,265 first doses and 8,385 second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered. Mount Nittany Health has given more than 14,700 vaccines with more than 7,000 scheduled, Joshi said.
The health system is operating a waitlist for community members who wish to schedule a vaccination appointment and is making scheduling calls to at-risk patients. For more information, visit mountnittany.org/coronavirus.
Pennsylvania added 3,346 cases, which brings the total to 926,336. There have been 3.86 million negative tests and 90% of people have recovered statewide.
An additional 69 deaths were reported across the state to bring the total to 23,937.
Statewide, 2.23 million vaccinations have been administered to 1.58 million people.
The state’s COVID Alert PA app now includes important vaccine information, acting Health Secretary Alison Beam said Friday. The app includes an eligibility tool as well as nearby vaccine provider locations. Those without internet access can contact a Health Department representative about the vaccine process at 877-PA-HEALTH. The representative can help the caller find and contact a nearby provider.
The breakdown of confirmed Centre County cases by ZIP code, and the change from the previous day (if any), is as follows, according to the Health Department:
- 16801 (State College): 4,649 (+12)
- 16823 (Bellefonte/Pleasant Gap): 2,175 (+10)
- 16803 (State College): 1,114 (+3)
- 16686 (Tyrone): 909 (+5)
- 16802 (University Park): 814 (-1)
- 16866 (Philipsburg): 734 (+2)
- 16870 (Port Matilda): 381
- 16841 (Howard): 326 (-1)
- 16845 (Karthaus): 254
- 16828 (Centre Hall): 237
- 16875 (Spring Mills): 228 (+3)
- 16827 (Boalsburg): 223 (+1)
- 16822 (Beech Creek): 165 (+3)
- 16844 (Julian): 165 (+1)
- 16666 (Osceola Mills): 149 (+1)
- 16853 (Milesburg): 114
- 16874 (Snow Shoe): 91 (+1)
- 16877 (Warriors Mark): 90
- 16865 (Pennsylvania Furnace): 73
- 16826 (Blanchard): 61
- 16854 (Millheim): 58
- 16829 (Clarence): 55
- 16872 (Rebersburg): 53
- 16820 (Aaronsburg): 48 (+1)
- 16851 (Lemont): 46
- 16859 (Moshannon): 42
- 16856 (Mingoville): 28
- 16832 (Coburn): 24 (+1)
- 16868 (Pine Grove Mills): 23
- 16677 (Sandy Ridge): 22
- 16860 (Munson): 20
- 16852 (Madisonburg): 17
- 16864 (Orviston): 12
- 16835 (Unionville): 11
- 16804 (State College): 8
- 16882 (Woodward): 8
The state does not identify exactly where a case occurred in a ZIP code that spans multiple counties.
In Centre County, five new cases were reported among nursing/personal care home residents. There have been 701 resident cases, 146 employee cases and 158 deaths in 18 long-term care facilities.
Statewide, there have been 66,674 resident cases, 12,987 employee cases and 12,371 resident deaths at 1,566 nursing and personal care homes.
This story was originally published February 26, 2021 at 12:12 PM.